Diary Troubles
by Bad l'Cie
Summary: The warriors of Cosmos and Chaos recieve little books that turn their lives upside down. It follows the journeys of a Cosmos and a Chaos warrior. Are these books a curse, or a blessing?
1. Chapter 1

I don't own anything from Dissidia.

_Dear diary,  
><em>_I don't understand Cosmos' logic by getting us to write in diaries because the Chaos warriors are only going to steal them anyways... may as well humour her. I may as well introduce myself to my new diary. I'm Claire Farron, but I prefer Lightning or Light. Anyone who calls me Claire will be hung, drawn and quartered. Between you and me, I feel a little sad at the moment. The Chaos warriors have a whole army by their side and there's just us. Life is a bitch. I'm not kidding. I can't stand Laguna, he has a bad sense of direction and he just pulled Zidane's tail. Anyways, better be heading out. You may not hear from me again you dumb diary!  
><em>_Sincerely,  
><em>_Lightning_

I slammed the diary shut and locked it. Cosmos and her brilliant ideas! The other warriors seemed to write in it for ages. I know that Tifa and Yuna use theirs as an art book. Not a bad idea, I must say. Warrior of Light really pours his feelings into his. I know because I have my sources. Firion eavesdrops for me.

I got up off of the wet ground and left Sanctuary. I needed a break from most of these losers. I wandered the areas around our base and just used this time to clear my mind of things that have been bugging me lately. Manikins littered the land and I struck them down easily.  
>"Light! Come back!" I heard Yuna exclaim. I turned to see Yuna, Tifa, Kain, Vaan and Laguna walking toward me.<br>"Lightning. Must you always sulk?" Kain asked.  
>"Who's sulking?" I replied and folded my arms. I glared at Kain and he turned away from me.<br>"Come on! This diary thing will be fun!" Tifa exclaimed.  
>"Says one of the girls who draw pictures of their crushes all day." I replied and chuckled.<br>Yuna blushed a little and said, "She has a point." Everyone chuckled at the blushing summoner.

The boys walked ahead of us girls and we used that as an excuse to talk.  
>"Hey, Light?" Tifa asked.<br>"Yeah? What's up?" I asked in reply.  
>"Is it wrong to be in love with the enemy?" Tifa asked.<br>"I was just going to ask the same thing." Yuna said.  
>"I believe it is not wrong to be in love with the enemy. The heart wants what the heart wants. But don't let yourself believe that they won't use you, because they might." I replied.<br>"Wow, good point Light. Thanks." Tifa replied.  
>"Got somebody in mind you two?" I asked inquisitively.<br>"Tidus." Yuna replied and looked at Tifa.  
>"Cloud." Tifa replied as she blushed a little.<br>"Lucky you." I said.

"Hey girls! Hurry up!" Vaan called with a friendly wave. We jogged in order to catch up with the boys, who waited for us.  
>"Why are you slacking off? And Light? You of all people to slack off?" Laguna asked playfully.<br>"We needed to talk about 'girly things'. Satisfy you?" Tifa asked with her hands on her hips.  
>"Yeah." Laguna replied with a nod.<br>"We need to get back to Sanctuary." Kain said and headed back in the direction of Cosmos' base. The rest of us rolled our eyes at him and followed the moody dragoon back to base.

When we got back, Bartz was searching high and low for something.  
>"Grr... where is my diary?" He exclaimed angrily. Zidane and Squall looked at each other and giggled like little girls. Cosmos, these diaries were the worst idea you've ever had! Zidane pulled out Bartz's diary from behind his back and handed it to Squall. He cleared his throat and began to recite the text.<br>"Dear diary, I am Bartz Klauser. I have one confession to make... I am gay. I am drawn to Firion for some reason. Maybe it's because we both can handle many weapons at once. Yes, I am in love with Firion." Squall smirked as he slammed the book shut and threw it to Bartz. Firion started to get a pink flush in his cheeks. "  
>I'm going to kill you!" Bartz exclaimed and chased the monkey and the lion out of Sanctuary. Cosmos shook her head at the three boys.<br>"They are not meant to be used for sabotage, my warriors. They are to record your memories, so when you lose them when you are resurrected, they will provide you with the memories to continue fighting. You may not remember your pervious life, but from now on, you will. That is the logic behind the diaries." Cosmos said. We all looked at each other and realised that was actually true. I started to rethink the whole diary idea and wrote another entry.

_Dear diary,  
><em>_Ok, maybe I was wrong. This whole using a book to record memories for future reference is a great idea. Well, this is the war of the gods. I serve the goddess of harmony Cosmos. Our enemies are the warriors of the god of discord, Chaos and their manikin army. Bartz had his diary stolen by Squall and Zidane. Squall read it out to everybody and Firion looked either pretty flattered or pretty embarrassed. Bartz then chased them around Sanctuary. Pretty hilarious if you ask me! I wonder if Chaos and Cosmos came up with this idea to keep their warriors fighting? Anyways, I don't care about them. Trouble is, not only do us Cosmos warriors have to fight manikins, but we also have to keep our diaries away from the Chaos warriors' clutches. This will be fun.  
><em>_Lightning_

"Hey Light. Do you have a minute?" Yuna asked. I closed my diary and put it away.  
>"Yeah, course." I replied and patted the ground next to me. Yuna sat down and opened her diary.<br>"I want your opinion on this." Yuna said and showed me an intricate drawing of what looked like her and Tidus kissing in a lake at night.  
>"This is amazing. Yuna, you have a real talent for drawing. Have you been doing it long?" I asked.<br>"I have been drawing a while, but I figured it would be a really good way to remember some things." She replied with a shy smile.  
>"Like maybe, a kiss with the guy you like?" I asked curiously.<br>"Yes, especially that." She replied and blushed.  
>"Go meet up with him." I said.<br>"No, I'll go with Jecht. He protected my father and I trust Jecht, but I also trust Tidus. What should I do?" Yuna asked.  
>"Follow your heart. Take Jecht and go see him. I'll cover for you." I replied.<br>"Thanks Light." Yuna said and went to go look for Jecht.

I heard the clunk of light armour behind me.  
>"Sulking again Lightning?" Kain asked. I turned to see Kain smile at me and sat down beside me.<br>"No. Just thinking." I replied. Kain wrapped his arm around my waist. I moved his arm away from my waist and put a little bit of distance between us.  
>"What's up then?" Kain asked and tried to hold my hand.<br>"Kain! What in the world are you thinking?" I asked in surprise and pulled my hand out of his. He grabbed my forearms and struggled to kiss me.  
>"Kain! No!" I exclaimed and as I pulled one arm out of his grasp and punched him in the nose. He recoiled in pain and let go of me. I got up and went to get away. He grabbed my ankle and pulled me down to the ground again. He held me down using his body as a weight.<br>"Lightning, I love you." Kain said. My eyes widened in shock.


	2. Chapter 2

Chaos handed us these little books with a lock and key and we just stared at it. I didn't know what it was and I didn't want to know what I'm supposed to do with it.  
>"Ok, it's a diary. You write your feelings in it. Just don't steal each other's little books, ok guys?" Chaos asked. Our jaws dropped. Kuja and Kefka opened theirs and started writing in it. I waited for everybody to start writing in theirs and I left them bunched up in a group. I walked into a place away from them, sat down and opened my little bound book.<p>

_Dear diary,  
><em>_This is ridiculous! You don't see the Cosmos warrior's writing in diaries! Anyways, I'm Sephiroth. I have almost no recollection of my memories and for some reason, a blonde haired kid named Cloud always looks at me funny... Is there something in my teeth? Whatever, the kid is another moron brandishing a large sword. I know, my sword is large... long. It's not large, it's slim and long. Masamune is not a large sword, so I am not clearly a moron. Why do I even bother with this? You are a stupid book! Books aren't meant to help win a war! Oh well, I've seen stranger... (Yes, watching Kuja and Kefka suck face is very strange... What's stranger is that they like each other, yikes!) I do not like you and I don't wish to speak to you anymore.  
><em>_Sephiroth  
><em>_P.S. - That Cloud kid may have a thing for that Terra girl of Kefka's. May._

I shut the little black book and put it away. I was going to be very careful with what I was going to put in this book because Kefka is a very shady person. I don't want that book anywhere near him. He wandered around me and tried to pluck my diary out of my pocket.  
>"Try to take that little book and I will bite your hand off." I snapped at the creepy clown.<br>"Touchy!" He exclaimed and threw his hands up in the air before wandering around again. Ultimecia placed her hand on my shoulder and I shot her a death stare. She rolled her eyes at me at ran her hands down my arm. I shook her off and got off the ground.  
>"You doing anything?" she asked with a snootily flirty voice. She expects me to go on a date with her? Fat chance.<br>"Getting away from you." I replied.  
>"Do you want a drink?" she asked and grabbed hold of my arm.<br>"You know I don't drink." I hastily replied and left her on her own. She turned and sat on Garland's lap. Creepy...

I wandered the Lands of Discord to clear my thoughts. Manikins ran around the land madly, ignoring me and searching for enemies to destroy. Stupid thoughtless creatures. Am I one of them? Am I only a copy? Nah, I'm just being paranoid again. The gravel of the path crushed beneath my feet as I continued to walk away. I wonder if that girl... her name escapes me... Tifa was it? Well, I wonder how she's doing without Cloud. I thought about giving Tifa a visit, but realised it was a stupid idea. I then saw a pink manikin dash across the horizon. It was unlike the others. It had a strong presence and an incredibly remarkable sense of balance and speed. I was captivated by it for a second and then I had to almost slap myself. Falling for a manikin? Really? I never thought I was that far gone.

I ignored the manikin and pressed forward. I heard two sets of footsteps come from a fair distance away. I pulled out Masamune and hid behind a natural rock formation. I heard them chatter and realised it was only Tidus and Cloud. Masamune was returned to its resting place and I surprised the two boys.  
>"Hello." I said. Tidus almost jumped out of his skin and Cloud had a miniature heart attack. I chuckled at them.<br>"Not funny." Tidus commented.  
>"It is too." I replied. Cloud patted his chest in order to calm his heart down.<br>"We're heading out. Can't stand some of those idiots in the lair." Tidus said.  
>"You want to come?" Cloud asked.<br>"Why?" I asked cautiously. I suddenly remembered that Cloud was one of my enemies and now he was my ally.  
>"If we have to work together, may as well be on good terms with each other." Cloud replied to my question.<br>"I still don't forgive you for turning on me." I muttered and crossed my arms over my chest.  
>"I couldn't let you hurt Tifa! She's my friend!" Cloud exclaimed.<br>"Guys! Calm down! Cloud has a point." Tidus said and moved in between us. As if that would stop me from slitting his throat. Cloud grunted and turned his back to me. I tugged his hair and when he turned around, I pointed at Tidus.  
>"Very childish Sephiroth." Tidus replied.<p>

"If you have to fight alongside one another, learn to get along!" Tidus exclaimed and turned to face me. Cloud stared at me with one of those blank expressions of his. It's annoying, like Kefka in general.  
>"Agreed." I replied. The pink manikin from before ran up to us and stood watching the conversation unfold. Those carbon eyes stared at me and clawed at my heart. I shook my head and rubbed my temples. Tidus and Cloud turned to see that manikin staring at us.<br>"That's gross." Cloud remarked.  
>"No, the manikin is a copy of somebody." Tidus replied. Cloud nodded and then looked at me.<br>"What?" I asked with a sour tone.  
>"You like a manikin!" Cloud taunted. Tidus slapped the back of his head.<br>"No, you idiot! He likes the person the manikin is a copy of." Tidus mused.  
>"Do not." I replied and walked away. The manikin watched me leave and then went about its own business.<p>

Tidus and Cloud wandered after me. I stopped at another close by rock formation and lent up against it.  
>"Are you coming or not?" Cloud asked.<br>"Fine." I replied. The road ahead was fairly smooth and free of rocks of any kind. Then the road faded into pavement that opened up into a castle's balcony.  
>"So, this is where you two hide?" I asked whilst looking around at the fading stone.<br>"Uh-huh." Tidus replied. He wandered around for a warm spot and lounged on the concrete, soaking up the sun. Cloud laid down next to him and they looked at me.  
>"Come on Mr. Vampire! Come soak up some sun! It won't kill you!" Tidus mused.<br>Cloud chuckled at Tidus and exclaimed, "Good one!" I sighed and shook my head. I unbuckled my coat and lay down next to Tidus.  
>"See? You're not dying!" Cloud joked.<p>

About an hour later, I heard three sets of footsteps enter the perimeter.  
>"Sephiroth, relax." Tidus said as he saw me look around. I let my mind wonder as I stared at the clouds again.<br>"Tidus!" A shy voice exclaimed.  
>"Yuna!" Tidus exclaimed in return, waving at the girl and went to go meet her.<br>"Get up lazy bones!" Tifa exclaimed to Cloud. He was sleeping and was quite sunburnt. Lucky for me, I never burn, or tan for that matter. She laughed at Cloud, who slowly woke up to find Tifa's eyes staring into his. He got up and the two of them went off together. I was alone, or so I thought. I got off the cold concrete and picked up my coat. A set of footsteps came out of the darkness. I turned to see who it was and I just stared in silence.

When the sun hit her face, her ice blue eyes sparkled and it almost made her seem like an angel. Her pink hair spiked out to one side and then fell down her shoulder like a waterfall on the other. Her skin was pale, but nowhere near as pale as mine.  
>"They ditched you too huh?" she asked. Her voice was low but had a sense of authority to it. She wore a cream and brown coloured uniform with a red cape falling down her left side like a train to a wedding dress. Her weapon was in its sheath hanging behind her. Her necklace bore a lightning bolt. She looked at me in confusion. I must have been freaking her out. But I couldn't say anything, my tongue was tied. I was too captivated by her to do anything but stop and stare. Maybe Tidus was right. I wasn't in love with a manikin; I was in love with the original. Maybe, I was in love with Lightning.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

His green eyes stared at me like a cat would their prey. He said nothing, absolutely nothing. He was ghostly pale and had luscious silver hair. But when his skin hit the sunlight, I couldn't help but to look at his perfect abdominals. His arms were perfectly toned, as was the rest of his body. Sephiroth... a Chaos warrior. You could tell by one glance that he was the ultimate soldier. Confident, strong, independent. He was so perfect. A fallen angel. That's what he was. I had to try and stop myself from biting my lip and decided to talk to him more.  
>"Are you ok?" I asked, trying not to be sexy about it.<br>"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." He replied. My heart stopped. His voice was a dark and haunted symphony of torcher and lust.  
>"Wow." I uttered under my breath and closed my eyes.<br>"Lightning? Lightning?" He asked. I smiled as his voice caressed my thoughts. The way he said my name was enchanting.

I opened my eyes to find him a little freaked out by me. I gave him an apologetic smile and he seemed to ease up a bit. I sighed with relief.  
>"So, what are you doing here?" I asked him whilst circling him.<br>"Getting to know Tidus and Cloud better. What about you?" Sephiroth asked in return.  
>"Chaperoning Yuna and Tifa. Chaos warriors are known to be quite tricky characters." I replied. He chuckled slightly and my pulse raced.<br>"Yeah, Kefka's the one you have to watch out for. He'll pinch anything, including little books." Sephiroth muttered.  
>"Little books?" I asked. He pulled out a little bound book under a lock and key.<br>"A diary!" I exclaimed quietly. I dug out my little book and held it up.  
>"Really? A diary? What are the gods thinking?" Sephiroth asked with a confused expression.<br>"To record memories that may be lost due to resurrection." I replied.  
>"That's smart." He commented. I laughed a little.<br>"Do you care about this war?" I asked.  
>"If Chaos doesn't care, neither do we. We got the manikins to do the work for us because we couldn't be bothered." Sephiroth replied. He put his coat back on and called the two boys over.<br>"I'll see you around?" Sephiroth asked.  
>"Maybe." I replied. Tidus and Cloud trailed the angel back to their base, at least that what I was guessing.<p>

Yuna and Tifa ran up to me and squealed.  
>"Oh! Tidus kisses like a dream!" Yuna exclaimed whilst holding her hands to her heart and biting her lip.<br>"Cloud doesn't like me." Tifa said sadly and shook her head.  
>"You know what they say, there's plenty of chocobos in the wild." Yuna replied with an optimistic smile. I stared into the distance, watching the clouds move from one place to another slowly. I sighed as I thought about the possibility of seeing Sephiroth again. What if the catalyst to my crystal was loving Sephiroth? What if..? It's a question that everyone thinks of every now and again.<br>"You know how some people say that a man can be the death of you?" Tifa asked.  
>"Yeah." Yuna replied.<br>"I think Light has found her poison!" Tifa mused. I turned to see their cheeky grins take over their faces.

I stayed quiet. I didn't want to make the situation worse. I brought the other two girls back to Sanctuary. I took out a pen and my diary and wrote my latest entry.

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_I think I've found my match. I think I'm in love with the enemy. I think that Yuna and Tifa are right. I have a poison and his name is Sephiroth. His green eyes pierce my barriers and they crumble to my feet. By the time they're up again, he has charmed me into day dreaming about the possibility of us being together. He's so hot, like a summer's day. He's confident, independent, strong, graceful, intelligent... I could just think about him all day if this weren't a war. I would love to see him again. The thrill his voice gives me is intoxicating. I must sign off, the others are coming.  
><em>_Lightning._

I put my diary away and stood to greet my allies.  
>"We ready? I'm pumped to go!" Vaan exclaimed and placed his hands behind his head. I shook my head at the excited teen.<br>"Always ready to get into trouble..." I commented. He gave me a cheeky grin. Laguna pulled out a piece of paper and waved it in my face.  
>"I finally found a map." He chirped.<br>"How long have you had that?" I asked with my arms folded. He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. I rolled my eyes at the directionless idiot. Kain stayed very quiet, that usually happens but it's awkward being around him now. Especially since he tried to kiss me. Yuna held her staff close to her chest and nodded.  
>"Let's go!" she said. They started to wander off and I began to wonder where we were going. Tifa turned to face me.<br>"We're trying to trash Chaos' lair, remember?" Tifa asked. Trashing Chaos' lair? Never remembered hearing that. I followed the others to the lair, in the Land of Discord.

"Ok. Before we go too far to come back, have we got everything?" Laguna asked.  
>"Your map?" Yuna laughed.<br>"Got it!" Laguna replied.  
>"Spray paint?" Laguna asked.<br>"Purple and pink, right here!" Tifa replied, holding up the two cans.  
>"Stink bombs?" Tifa asked.<br>"Five stink grenades." Yuna replied and held up one of them.  
>"Kain, you got the glitter?" Vaan asked. Kain nodded.<br>"Have you remembered the baseball bat?" Tifa asked. Vaan brought it out and pretended that a ball was headed his way.  
>"Course!" He replied, swinging the bat over his shoulder.<br>"Light, have you remembered the fake puke?" Kain asked.  
>"What?" I replied.<br>"Light!" Laguna exclaimed.  
>"I don't think she remembers." Tifa said. I shrugged my shoulders.<br>"Lucky I have it." Vaan said and held up the bag of slush. Everyone looked a little green. To be honest, I almost gagged.  
>"Let's go!" Laguna exclaimed and we headed to the Land of Discord.<p>

After travelling through many battles with manikins, we arrived. Tifa tossed me the pink spray paint. She had the purple already opened. Vaan tossed the vomit towards Kain. Kain also brought out the massive bag of glitter. Vaan pulled out the baseball bat and swung it over his shoulders like Squall does his gunblade. Laguna took some of the stink bombs from Yuna and she held the tag on one of them. This felt wrong. I dropped the can and walked away.  
>"Light? What are you doing?" Laguna asked.<br>"It doesn't feel right doing this. Imagine what they would do to us if we went through with it." I replied and turned away. Kain slammed the can into my hand.

Kain turned away and sprinkled glitter everywhere. He poured the vomit onto Chaos' empty throne. Vaan used the bat to break some of the surroundings. Tifa sprayed the words 'Suck this, idiots' on the ground. Laguna and Yuna pulled the tags off and threw the bombs.  
>"Breaking stuff is fun!" Vaan said and smashed a glass vase. Tifa sprayed a heart on the back of someone's tent. Yuna and Laguna helped Kain sprinkle glitter everywhere. I looked at their colourful painting and then I looked at the unused can.<br>"Real warriors don't fight like this." I said with a sour tone.  
>"Don't be so moody Light! Have fun!" Vaan exclaimed and knocked down a tent. A diary fell out and he picked it up. He flicked through the pages and laughed.<br>"This is rich! Dear diary, Kefka is dreamy. His kisses are revolting, but I would do anything for him. It's like he's Romeo and I'm his Juliet. Gotta go, my baby's waiting. Kuja." Vaan recited. The other four joined in Vaan's hysterical laughter. I threw the can off the edge and left the other five to do their vandalism.


	4. Chapter 4

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_I've never felt this before. It's a hard feeling to explain, but I think I'm in love with a Cosmos warrior. Turns out, the Cosmos warriors trashed the lair and broke Exdeath's favourite vase. He was really peeved off about it. Then he and Cloud of Darkness made out. Gross. Kuja's tent was destroyed but what really made him angry was that someone read his diary. Why leave it there? It's only easier to steal. It really smells over there, so I'm sitting on the outskirts of the Land of Discord. Anyways, is it wrong to fall in love with the enemy? Is it wrong to love a woman like Lightning? I'm so confused. I may come back with answers.  
><em>_Sephiroth._

I closed my eyes and listened to the commotion at the lair. I then closed my diary and put it away. Garland came up behind me and sat next to me.  
>"Kefka's girl Terra was stolen. Tidus and Cloud are missing. But, we have a new warrior. Jecht, Tidus' father. I heard something about you and one of the Cosmos warriors. Did you fight?" Garland asked.<br>"Yeah, easy fight." I lied.  
>"Who?" Garland asked.<br>"The name escapes me." I replied. I don't want anybody knowing about my crush on Lightning.  
>"Oh, alright." Garland said and left. A man watched him leave and sat down in his place.<br>"Hey, I'm Jecht. And you are?" he asked.  
>"Sephiroth." I replied.<br>"Are you friends with Garland?" he asked.  
>"No, I just fight alongside him. As with the rest of them." I replied. There was an awkward silence as he reached for his diary and read over it.<p>

He closed it and then turned to me.  
>"They're meant to serve as memory joggers and not sabotage. According to a quote from Cosmos." Jecht said.<br>"I never thought of it that way." I replied.  
>"Ha, did you know Bartz is gay? Yep, he likes Firion." Jecht said.<br>"Did you know that Ultimecia and Garland are together?" I asked.  
>"No way." Jecht exclaimed.<br>"Oh yeah. And so are Exdeath and Cloud of Darkness. And Kuja and Kefka." I replied.  
>"Wow. So many relationships!" Jecht exclaimed. I nodded.<br>"Do you have anybody in mind? You know, to get with?" Jecht asked. Yes.  
>"No." I lied. It seemed that I needed to lie a lot in order for no one to find out.<br>"I think that one of the Cosmos warriors would be suited to you. Lightning. Yeah, she's turned down Kain, Firion, Squall and Warrior of Light." Jecht said.  
>"Really?" I asked in reply. I had to choose a challenge. I like that a lot.<br>"Oh, yeah. She's a tricky one to please." Jecht replied.

"Hm. You are actually a lot like Tidus. He used to be a good acquaintance of mine." I said.  
>"Ha, you don't open up to anybody do you?" Jecht asked.<br>"I did have two friends before the war, but they died. I don't think I've made any other friends after them." I replied. Jecht laughed.  
>"You need to socialise." He chuckled.<br>"I've had no opportunity to as people see me coming and run in the opposite direction." I said.  
>"Must be rough, huh?" Jecht asked.<br>"Story of my life. It never used to be that way. One blank minded decision changes your life." I replied. We laughed.  
>"Thank the Farplane that somebody gets that!" Jecht exclaimed.<br>"Well, same here." I chuckled. You know, I think I just found myself a friend.

We sat there and talked for ages. We picked on random things about our 'allies' and we just laughed at their stupid quirks. Like, Exdeath and his priceless vase collection. He seriously spends more time polishing the vases than with his girlfriend. She doesn't appreciate that much. She doesn't like that at all. We watched them fight like cat and dog about the vases. Cloud of Darkness threw a few at Exdeath and that made him very angry. They argued for easily two hours before all of the vases were broken and so was their relationship.  
>"Hah! They broke up!" Jecht exclaimed.<br>"It couldn't last long." I replied with a sly smile. We looked at each other and chuckled.  
>"Hey, you want to ruffle a few Cosmos feathers?" Jecht asked.<br>"I like how you think." I replied.

We snuck out of the lair and headed outside the Land of Discord. The Cosmos warriors were in groups, trying to deplete the endless pool of imposters. One particular group seemed to be heading towards the door to the Rift. Tifa, that Yuna girl, a blonde teen bickering with a man with a gun, a man in purple armour wielding a lance and Lightning. I signalled Jecht over and we watched the group from far enough to hear them.  
>"Laguna, why would the Cloud of Darkness tell us this?" the blonde kid asked.<br>"Well Vaan, she's probably placing her money on the fact that we will die trying to close the door." The man named Laguna replied. Vaan raised his arms to the back of his head and shifted his weight onto one leg.  
>"Kain, can you help us?" Yuna asked. The man in purple stirred, so I guessed he was Kain.<br>"Question is, will he help us or take us out?" Lightning asked with a scowl and turned her back to Kain. Tifa shook her head at Lightning.

"Told you. She's a tricky nut to crack." Jecht whispered. I nodded in response, not wanting to make a sound. Suddenly, a small crowd of manikins ambushed the group. Lightning immediately reached for her weapon and attacked the manikins. She switched constantly from a healing phase, to an aggressive phase and then to a phase that used magic without the use of materia. She swung these two huge blades and every time they struck her target, a shower of red rose petals swept over the scene. Her movements were graceful, precise and balanced. She dodged attacks with ease and quickly struck while their guard was down. Suddenly, her gunblade became a different shape and colour. She attacked and shot the manikins. She used the two converting blades to slash at her opponents. She then swung them around, causing a catastrophic blow that sliced the manikins into ribbons. Rose petals danced in the air as Lightning put her blade back in its sheath.  
>"Zantestuken is the twin blades." Jecht whispered.<br>"As in Odin's weapon? The iron cutting sword?" I asked in surprise.  
>"Oh, yeah. She's not your average soldier." Jecht replied.<p>

We watched the group continue into the Land of Discord. Jecht whipped out his diary and wrote a few notes.  
>"You may want to write something down, just in case." Jecht said and continued doodling in his little book.<p>

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_After seeing Lightning fight, I feel_ _even more like she's put a spell on me. I'm just so drawn to her. Zantestuken? The legendary blades? And rose petals? I'm intrigued by her. She's quite a mystery... Looking for a way to cut off our resources are you? This will end badly. I want to tell her how I feel, I don't know how. I'm still confused. No answers yet. All I know is... I'm in love with Lightning.  
><em>_Sephiroth _


	5. Chapter 5

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_I still can't stop thinking about Sephiroth. He's always in my mind. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I want to watch him fight. A guy that seductive must be a great fighter. I wonder if he likes me. Wistful thinking... Where are the Bodhum fireworks when you need them? I'd like a wish to be granted. I wish that I could see Sephiroth, for all that he really is. Not as my enemy or as a villain. I want to see the guy inside. That guy is one I'd like to meet. Like I said, wistful thinking. It's getting late. The door to the Rift shouldn't be too far away now.  
><em>_Lightning_

I shut the book and put it away. No point on sleeping with a mind full of thought. Everyone else was asleep, but me. Sephiroth has been on my mind since I saw him and talked to him like I would an actual human being. This isn't normal for me. I looked around at the others and they seemed to be having nightmares, well except Kain. He was smiling in his sleep, creepy... My eyelids were too heavy to keep open and I let the sounds of warfare lull me to sleep.

I woke up earlier than everybody else, as per usual. I yawned and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. I looked down at the ground and around me was a circle of rose petals.  
>"What in the world?" I asked myself. A trail of rose petals ran off into the distance. I got up and followed them. The area was still dark and the sun was just rising above the horizon. The trail stopped before a small box and a piece of paper. I picked the both of them up and headed back to the others. As I sat down in the circle of petals, Yuna woke up.<p>

"Morning." She wearily chirped and Tifa opened her eyes. Yuna and Tifa sat up and wiped the sleep away from their eyes.  
>"What's with the rose petals?" Tifa asked and pointed to the circle. Yuna gasped.<br>"I don't know. Do you Light?" Yuna asked.  
>"I found them around me and the trail over there, lead me to this box and this note." I replied.<br>"Read it out loud!" Tifa mused. I opened the note and the writing was an elegant form of lettering. Each letter was detailed and easy to identify. It was nothing like what I'm used to writing in.  
>"Lightning, this little gift is for you." I recited. They looked at me with a confused expression.<br>"Is that all it says?" Tifa asked. I nodded. She took the note from my hands and showed Yuna. Yuna and Tifa tried to analyse the text, trying to find out who wrote it.  
>"I'll ask about the writing." Tifa said and put it in her pocket.<p>

Yuna eyed the box like a kid in a candy shop.  
>"Open it!" Yuna mused. I opened the box and I was stunned. A delicate silver charm bracelet with two charms on it sat on the satin lining of the box. A lightning bolt and a crystal shard.<br>"Show us, Light!" Tifa exclaimed. It turned the box around to them and I chuckled at their shocked expressions.  
>"Whoa! That is beautiful!" Yuna exclaimed.<br>"Well, at least you know they have a good taste in jewellery." Tifa replied.  
>"Who would do this for me?" I asked out loud.<br>"A guy that likes you." Yuna replied. I looked at the creepy dragoon sleeping to my left. Tifa and Yuna looked at Kain and saw the disgust on my face.  
>"Relax, I recognise the writing from somewhere back home. I'll just ask Cloud. He might know." Tifa replied. I let out a sigh of relief. Yuna and Tifa cracked up laughing. I rolled my eyes at the two girls. They had no idea what would be coming soon. I had no idea myself. Only one way to find out, to wait and see.<p>

I put the bracelet on my left wrist and admired the craftsmanship that went into it. Laguna and Vaan woke up and saw me play around with the new bracelet.  
>"What's going on?" Vaan asked as he gazed over the rose petals. I chuckled silently.<br>"Light's got a secret admirer." Tifa mused. I got off the ground and placed my hand on my hip. Kain heard these words and woke up instantly. It was as if someone had just said that they had done something to his most prized possession. At least it wasn't Kain. He's been acting really weird lately. And yes, forcing me to kiss him does count as weird.  
>"Well, who is it?" Laguna asked.<br>"Tifa says she knows the writing from somewhere." I replied and Tifa waved the note in front of Laguna's face. All of a sudden, all of the Chaos warriors were racing past us to see what was going on.

We decided to follow them and see what's up. They crowded the scene in a U shape so we saw everything. It was Kefka holding a little black book and Sephiroth looking just angry enough to want to rip him to shreds. His green cat like eyes burned with the fires of a hell that only a mere mortal could dream of. That look was actually really hot on him. Tifa and Yuna stared at me with a cheeky gaze.  
>"I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully!" He exclaimed.<br>"Sounds fun. But I know what would be even more fun!" Kefka retorted and picked the lock on the book. I realised that was the book he showed me that day.  
>"That's his diary." I uttered. Tifa overheard me and I felt something try and reach for my pocket. I was too absorbed in what was going on to care. Garland came over and he stood next to us, either making sure we didn't leave or to kill us after learning something we shouldn't have. I saw out of the corner of my eye, Tifa handing Garland a book that looked similar to mine. Then again, all of the Cosmos diaries look similar. Garland walked away from us. Tifa smirked.<p>

Sephiroth tackled the clown and Kefka passed it onto Kuja. Kuja opened the book and began reading out loud.  
>"Dear Diary, I know it's wrong but I can't help it. Some rules are meant to be broken." Kuja recited then paused. Sephiroth was already up and smashed Kuja in the nose. The clown got up as Kuja fell to the ground. The Emperor picked it up and continued.<br>"She is truly amazing. A true force to be reckoned with. Her eyes sparkle like diamonds and her voice makes my heart melt." The Emperor said and gave Sephiroth a death stare. Sephiroth took out his blade and slit his cheek with such speed to rival that of the speed of light. The Emperor tossed the book to Jecht before he was skewered by the angered angel. Ultimecia used a healing spell to revive her comrade. He got up and smiled. Jecht handed the book to Golbez and he continued.  
>"It feels like a thousand years since I saw her that day. Am I mentally unstable or in love? I think I may be in love with..." Golbez said with a pause for effect. Sephiroth struck him down and the book flew into the air, only to be caught by Cloud. Tifa smiled and winked at him.<br>"You?" Sephiroth asked with a taste of hate.  
>"Miss me?" Cloud replied.<br>"Be a good puppet and give me the book." Sephiroth said and held his blade a millimetre away from Cloud's chest. Cloud looked into the book for a brief second and smirked.  
>"Lightning. I must go. Sephiroth." He said and threw the book at Sephiroth.<p>

"Your secret had to be told. And the second piece of the puzzle shall be revealed." Garland announced and he opened the other book. I felt in my pocket and realised that Tifa stole my diary.  
>"Why would you betray me?! I trusted you Tifa!" I exclaimed and slapped her jaw. She recoiled in pain and looked at me with a smirk on her face. The others stared at her in shock.<br>"Cloud and I knew that something was up. I only needed proof to confirm it." Tifa replied.  
>"The note!" I exclaimed. She nodded. Sephiroth looked at me and saw my expression. He will know the truth in a matter of seconds, so why avoid it? Tifa eyed me evilly and stood next to Cloud. I shook my head at my 'friend' and turned to leave. Exdeath stood in my way.<br>"Do you really want to do that?" I asked the tree. He said nothing as Garland threw my diary to Tifa. She opened the book and recited an entry.  
>"Dear Diary, I think I've found my match. I think I'm in love with the enemy. I think that Yuna and Tifa are right. I have a poison and his name is Sephiroth. His green eyes pierce my barriers and they crumble to my feet. By the time they're up again, he has charmed me into day dreaming about the possibility of us being together. He's so hot, like a summer's day. He's confident, independent, strong, graceful, intelligent... I could just think about him all day if this weren't a war. I would love to see him again. The thrill his voice gives me is intoxicating. I must sign off, the others are coming. Lightning." Vaan, Yuna, Laguna and Kain stared at me in shock. I pushed past Exdeath and ran into the distance.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Cloud and Tifa smirked evilly and left with the other Chaos warriors. Garland threw Lightning's diary at me and followed the pack. The other four Cosmos warriors were gobsmacked. They just stood there and tried to soak up what had just happened. I followed Lightning across the Land of Discord. After at least an hour of searching, I found her sitting in the middle of a whirlwind of moving platforms. She had her face buried in her hands. She heard me coming and reached for her gunblade. I tossed her diary to her. She caught it and put it away. She didn't lift her eyes off of the ground. This must have been as big a blow for her as it was for me.

I sat next to Lightning and noticed one tear trickle down her cheek.  
>"I trusted her." She uttered and let another tear follow the other. I saw the bracelet on her left wrist and smiled.<br>"Trusting my mortal enemy, not a thing I'll do again." I said.  
>"At least he wasn't your friend. Or so you thought they were." She replied with a sorrowful tone. It ripped my heart open to hear her like that.<br>"I'm glad you liked the bracelet." I said. She looked down at it and then looked at me. The water from her eyes had separated every fine lash from its neighbour.  
>"That was you?" She asked in surprise. I nodded. We broke eye contact and then an air of silence swept over the area.<p>

"This is... very awkward." She commented.  
>"Yeah, very awkward." I replied. She used her hand to turn my face towards hers. This is it. I pressed my lips against hers and sighed as her tense hands relaxed around my back. I felt... happy and comfortable. The most I had felt this way in years. It's funny how I suddenly remembered that. I released my lips from hers. She removed her hands from my back and the awkwardness returned. All of a sudden, she grabbed the edge of my coat and pulled me in. Her hands relaxed on my chest once our lips touched. Our lips locked and unlocked continuously as I placed my hand on the side of her neck. I felt her negative energy rush out of her system as she sighed. Even my own body relaxed at her touch. My heart raced as her hands ran down my abdominals.<p>

"Uh, Sephiroth?" A voice like Jecht's asked. Lightning tensed as she removed her lips from mine.  
>"What?" I asked in annoyance.<br>"Chaos wants to... talk to you." Jecht replied. I sighed angrily and got up. Lightning grabbed my hand pulled me back.  
>"I'll see you later." She said and kissed me briefly.<br>"Yeah, I'll see you later." I replied. She let go of my hand and walked away. I sighed.  
>"Wow. What was that?" Jecht asked in surprise.<br>"My first... kiss?" I replied unsurely. Jecht's jaw dropped. I shrugged my shoulders.  
>"Write about it now, because Chaos wants to kick your ass!" Jecht exclaimed. I brought out my diary and wrote the latest entry.<p>

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_Today went from bad, to worse, to unbelievably amazing. Kefka stole my diary and read it out loud. Tifa stole Lightning's diary and read that out. Turns out, she and Cloud wanted to embarrass the both of us. Didn't work! I got my first kiss. Yep, pathetic but hey, it was worth the wait. Lightning's kisses are electric. Literally. I could feel her energy zapping my lip. I can still feel the tingle on my tongue. I don't know if this is possible, but you know how warriors of this war gain their memory back by fighting? I think I just got most of it back with three kisses. Even Chaos can't ruin today. In your face Cloud!  
><em>_Sephiroth_

Jecht and I went back to the lair. Everyone stared at me. I don't care what they think.  
>"Good luck. You'll need it." Jecht said and left me to face Chaos alone. He sat on his throne and had two of his four hands curled into a ball.<br>"You are a pathetic excuse for a warrior. Falling for the enemy is treason!" Chaos exclaimed and slammed his fist on his arm rest.  
>"You're not a king." I retorted.<br>"Then this is heresy!" Chaos exclaimed.  
>"I just serve you. I don't follow your religion or read a sacred script worshipping you. I'm not a believer; I'm just your warrior." I retorted. I wish I kept my mouth shut. He stared at me with a look that would make a mortal shrivel up and cower in the corner, giving them severe mental issues. It doesn't scare me one bit. I crossed my arms and shot him a death stare. He's not intimidating; he's actually kind of pleasant. It's the not coming back part that gets me all tense. Especially since Lightning and I are practically an item now.<p>

He got up and circled me.  
>"I don't scare you, I see... There must be something that scares you... What if I, destroyed your home?" Chaos asked.<br>"You wish." I replied.  
>"If I destroyed your mother?" He asked.<br>"No." I replied. Strangely, it was true. I didn't care about mother, not at all. Am I getting my independence back? Is my personality from before the incident coming back? Am I slowly becoming the hero again?  
>"Interesting... I thought you followed your mother's orders like a good boy. Hm... Very interesting." Chaos commented, breaking my train of thought. His feet thumped on the ground and it trembled under his weight. Chaos was like a heavyweight wrestler, cumbersome and always ready to strike.<br>"How about if I destroyed Gaia?" He asked.  
>"Saves me from doing it." I replied.<br>"What about if I destroyed Tifa and Cloud?" He asked.  
>"Fine with me." I replied.<p>

"How about if I destroyed Cosmos?" Chaos asked. It hit me. If a god were to fall in this conflict, their warriors would follow. That is what got me a little angry.  
>"You wouldn't." I replied.<br>"Maybe just one Cosmos warrior in general? Maybe a woman name Lightning?" Chaos asked with a sly smirk. That spun me off the edge and the mentally unstable part of me took over. I completely lost it. Chaos did look a little shocked when I swung at him with Masamune and tried to hit him with multiple meteor spells.  
>"You dare touch her; I'll give you so much mother..."<br>"Chaos, the warriors are approaching the door to the Rift." Garland said and interrupted my response. Chaos smiled.  
>"They won't come back... ever. Thank you Garland." Chaos replied and looked at me with a mocking smile.<p>

Garland looked at me in surprise.  
>"Were you attacking Chaos?" Garland asked.<br>"I have to go." I replied and headed for the Rift. Manikins barred my path and I spotted the Cosmos warriors getting ambushed by my 'allies'. I cut down the manikin barrier and I saw a whole army of them come out of the door. I was too late. Lightning and the others, minus Tifa, charged into battle with the imposters. They slashed them down one by one, but it made no difference. One by one, the Cosmos warriors slowly fell. Lightning was the last to fall. I charged in and brought the manikins down. At least twenty fell by one swing. The door closed and I saw Lightning lose consciousness. My heart shattered and continued to stab at me every time a pink manikin ran past. Then, the clouds rumbled and thunder roared. A bolt of lightning forked in the distance and the rain started to fall. I fell to my knees next to Lightning. The rain bucketed down on the battle ground. It masked the single tear that fell from my eyes and landed on Lightning's bracelet. I brought Masamune down onto myself. My mind lost its grip on reality and let me slip under.


	7. Chapter 7

"Lightning! Lightning! Lightning! She's not waking up, Snow. She's not waking up." I heard a voice sob. Serah and Snow. What are they doing here? I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by Serah, Snow and his NORA friends.  
>"What? Where am I?" I asked.<br>"Gran Pulse." Lebreau replied.  
>"What?!" I exclaimed. I got up and ran outside. Indeed, the feral wilderness of Gran Pulse was around me and Cocoon was being held up by a crystal pillar. The bracelet on my left hand jingled. I held it up to the light. It was the one Sephiroth gave me. I searched my pocket and sure enough, my diary was there. Serah ran up behind me and hugged me.<br>"Lightning, I missed you." She said and sobbed into my back. A village was being built on the sands of a Gran Pulse beach.  
>"Welcome to New Bodhum!" Snow exclaimed.<p>

Serah let go of me.  
>"You collapsed after the fall of Cocoon." She said.<br>"The war of the gods was a dream?" I asked myself.  
>"What? Lightning, you must have hit your head." Snow replied. I put the diary away and walked to the end of the pier. I read through the diary and sure enough, all of the writing was there, as Cosmos said, this diary would be a reminder. But not of what I forgot, but of what I lost. I put it away again as Serah sat down next to me.<br>"Hey, Light. I don't remember you getting that bracelet." Serah said and pointed to the silver bracelet. I looked down at it and stroked it gently.  
>"That's because during the war of the gods, a man I loved gave it to me." I replied. I don't want to tell her the whole story, it would hurt too much.<br>"What? Lightning, you're crazy!" Serah said. I showed her the diary and let her read it.

"Whoa... all this happened?" Serah asked. I nodded.  
>"You found love, then lost it. That's terrible." Serah replied. She handed the book back to me and I put it away. I sighed and stared at the pillar.<br>"Fang and Vanille, are they alright?" I asked.  
>"I'm not sure. The crystal doesn't speak." Serah replied.<br>"There's my bride." A voice said. I turned to find Cid Raines standing above me with his hand extended toward me.  
>"Excuse me?" I asked and batted his hand away.<br>"Haven't you told her Serah?" Cid asked.  
>Serah laughed awkwardly and replied, "No."<p>

"Tell me now. What's going on?" I asked. I got off the wood and folded my arms over my chest. Serah looked around and she ran into the NORA house.  
>"Nice." I replied and walked away. Cid cuddled me from behind and tried to kiss my neck.<br>"Let go of me Cid." I said under my breath and broke out of his grasp. Snow walked up to me with Serah not far behind him. She was scared of my reaction. This can't be good.  
>"Uh, your parents knew Cid's parents well and they planned an arranged marriage before they died. So, you have to marry Cid." Snow explained.<br>"What?!" I exclaimed. The nearby chocobos squawked in fear and tried to get as far away from me as possible.  
>"Cid's parents have been planning it since your parent's death and didn't want to tell you until you turned twenty one." Serah replied.<br>"And you didn't tell me?" I asked. I could only just get past Tifa betraying me, but my own sister betraying me? That's more than I can take.  
>"I tried to tell you. I was going to tell you after the news about the l'Cie business. You didn't want to hear anything, you were so angry. So, I didn't tell you. I was going to tell you after the fall of Cocoon, but you fainted and didn't wake up. Until now." Serah replied. I turned to look at Cid, who was trying unsuccessfully to calm the scared birds.<p>

I couldn't believe it.  
>"How long was I gone?" I asked.<br>"Two hours." Snow replied. It finally hit me. I ran into the forest and pulled out my diary.

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_I woke up on Gran Pulse. I'd been knocked out for two hours. The war of the gods was only a dream. So, I dreamt up Sephiroth. He doesn't exist. Not in my world. I knew it was too good to be true. I have to marry Cid Raines. Really? My parents know how to pick them... I still can't stop thinking of him. Of Sephiroth. Wake up! It's a damned dream, Claire! This is reality! That's what I've been telling myself the past ten minutes. I can't marry Cid... I just can't. Damn it, damn everything! This is a total pile of crap!  
><em>_Lightning_

I slammed the book shut and put it away. So Sephiroth and I never really kissed? If it truly was a dream, why was my diary and the bracelet still with me. I stared into the distance and folded my arms. I could just imagine Kain telling me to stop sulking.  
>"I have a reason to sulk now Kain..." I replied to the imaginary voice and watched the NORA members patrol the forest. I sighed and watched Gadot instruct the gunmen to do their next task. I swear one of them looked like Laguna. Directionless Laguna. I miss them already. My mind turned back to Sephiroth, the angel who had me smitten. I never thought I would fall for a guy from a dream... That's where love exists right? With no consequences or fears.<p>

A set of footsteps came up behind me. I placed my hand on the hilt of my Blazefire Saber.  
>"At ease." Cid commanded. I moved my hand away from the gunblade and ignored him. I folded my arms across my chest and pretended he wasn't even there. I heard Cid sigh. Huh, really funny. I'm still not turning around.<br>"Lightning, I know you're not crazy about this whole marriage thing. But what's done is done, you know?" he asked. I stayed quiet. He sighed again and wrapped his arms around my waist. He kissed my cheek and from the look in his eyes, he expected me to kiss him back. Not a chance.  
>"You wish." I replied and broke free. He grabbed my hand and rammed a ring down a finger. He then kissed my hand. I ripped it away from his grip and punched him in the jaw. He recoiled and wiped the blood away from his lip.<br>"Not cool." Cid said.  
>"Whatever." I replied and stormed away.<p>

Serah saw me stop at the edge of the pier and followed me.  
>"You do know the wedding is tomorrow right?" Serah asked.<br>"What?!" I asked in a panicked reply.  
>"Yeah, I should have told you." Serah said. I gave her a hug.<br>"Serah, what am I going to do?" I asked her. Snow ran in with Cid by his side and stopped before us.  
>"What's going on?" Snow asked. Serah went to him and linked her arm with his. That was actually kind of cute. They belong together.<br>"I'm a little conflicted at the moment." I replied. Cid gave Snow an apologetic smile.  
>"Come on, we've got a wedding to prepare for." Snow said and led us towards the church. I turned to glance quickly at the sunset and followed.<p>

The church was small but beautiful. Sure, it was made of wood. But I liked it. Cid tolerated it. We spent two hours setting up the church and the NORA house for the ceremony and reception. Cid tried to kiss me a few times, but I moved my head so he kissed my cheek instead. I still couldn't bring myself to love Raines. He was nothing like the villain I fell for. Not even close. Cid uttered little "I love you"s in my ear, but I knew they didn't count for crap. He was a liar and a traitor.

I went to sleep that night feeling anger and pain. I dreamt that I was back in the war again. I dreamt that Sephiroth was holding me in my arms. I wish. Serah shook me awake and I groaned.  
>"Get up! It's the big day!" Serah sing songed.<br>"What about yours? Aren't you and Snow getting married soon?" I asked. Serah's mood soured and looked at me with sorrowful eyes.  
>She shook her head and replied, "I wish. I do want to get married, but that's an issue at the moment. He's been really distant lately. I'm really worried about it. Anyways, enough about me. Today is all about you. Now, let me get your dress." Serah turned to the closet and pulled out a white dress.<br>"Oh, no." I said.  
>"Oh, yes." Serah replied. I put the dress on and sighed. Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful dress. Crystals were sewn into the strapless bodice and the dress itself satin and lace with a petticoat of tulle. I looked into the mirror and sighed. If only the groom was a man I loved. Serah smiled and handed me a bunch of red roses. I looked at the ring on my finger and wandered if I could speak up during the bans. The silver bracelet jingled as I moved my wrist. The charms glistened in the light. It was if the bracelet was telling me not to do this. My necklace looked fairly out of place, but I felt weird without it on. Serah placed the veil on my head.<br>"It's time." She replied. I flicked the veil over my face and left the room.

I peered through the door and saw the amount of people there, sitting in the pews. The whole town was there. I sighed and shook my head.  
>"Serah, I don't want to do this." I said. She placed her hand on my arm to reassure me.<br>"It's for the best." She replied. A man like Raines? I don't think so. I took a deep breath and tried to relax. The violins began to weave the wedding march into the atmosphere. The chatting crowd hushed and stood to greet me.

My vision faltered a little. The aisle looked spiralled and I shook my head. My vision returned to normal when Serah started to lead me into the church. All eyes turned to Serah and I. Cid turned his head and his eyes instantly lit up. Pain stabbed my mind over and over again. My vision faltered again and I reached to rub my temples when Serah grabbed my arm.  
>"Light? Light, what's wrong?" Serah asked. Her expression showed worry in every muscle in her face.<br>"I'm fine." I replied and continued down the aisle. People stared at me as if I had a massive hangover. As if. Cid began to look a little worried. The wedding march ended and I handed the bouquet over to Serah. As soon as I took Cid's hands, my body gave way and my mind went blank.  
>"Lightning!" I heard Serah exclaimed over the crowd's gasps. My hearing was then cut off and a cold darkness surrounded me.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_I saw a large dragon type beast before I woke up recently. I have to talk to Garland and see if he knows about it. He probably does. He got us all into this crap. Anyways, I don't think I'll ever be seeing Lightning again. I literally begged Chaos AND Cosmos to bring her back, but they refused. They said that they couldn't do anything. Well, they summoned us and can dispose of us, so, why not bring us back? This is stupid! Is this the planet's response to my possibility of finding happiness? If it is, I can't wait to destroy it. With or without these idiots by my side. Oh, and by the way, Jecht and Ultimecia are going out. Ultimecia and Garland are going out. Cloud of Darkness and Exdeath have hooked up again. Kuja is still with Kefka. This is strange, very strange.  
><em>_Sephiroth_

Cloud and Tifa wandered past me and I slammed the book shut. I put it back in my pocket and waited for them to leave. I hate them. I'll take what they care about from them and let's see how they like it! Jecht sat down next to me and I rubbed my temples.  
>"Hey, you alright? You've been moodier than usual... What's up?" Jecht asked. I glared at him and then got up off of the dusty ground before walking away. Jecht came after me. I knew he would. Jecht finally decided to talk again and tried to keep up with me.<br>"Hey! Sephiroth, listen. I know things have been hard on you since Lightning... left the war. But don't fret over it. It's just a fling!" Jecht said and patted my back. I shook his hand off of my shoulder and shot him a death stare.  
>"Just a fling? You really think it was just a fling?" I asked in reply and stormed off.<p>

I stopped just outside the Land of Discord and leaned against the wall. Just when I thought I was alone, Kuja and Kefka wandered into the gates, holding hands and being all mushy with each other. It only made me more depressed to watch. Kefka noticed me there and told Kuja to go back to the lair and that he'd meet him there.  
>"What's this? A Chaos warrior too depressed to try and destroy his opponent? How sad!" Kefka taunted. I wasn't really in the mood for his voice to penetrate my thoughts. He got up into my face and pretended to cry. If there was at least one thing I learned from this war, it's that I hate clowns. I punched his nose and he cried in terror. He held his nose and put one hand on his hip.<br>"Well, look which one winged angel thinks he can beat up anybody he pleases! Think again!" Kefka snapped and headed back to the lair.

Kefka was right, in a creepy way. I was too depressed to destroy Cloud and Tifa. And that was pathetic. I decided to take out the blonde idiot and his brown haired sidekick. I figured that it might take the pain of losing Lightning away. Thunder roared and lightning struck the ground a few feet away. That storm heading in reminded me of that time when I lost her. I just wanted to disappear, to melt into the darkness. Firion wandered past with his 'Wild Rose' in his palm. He was talking to it. I happened to hear what he was talking about.  
>"Lightning, my love. I failed you." Firion uttered and held the rose to his chest. I knew how to get back at Cloud. And I was going to use Firion to do it.<p>

Firion wandered into the Land of Discord and was surrounded by a group of pink manikins. The Lightning ones. I silently stalked his movements. The manikins soon noticed my presence and left. When the moment was right, I struck him down. He dropped the rose and I picked it up.  
>"You had it coming rose boy." I replied and walked away, leaving him to get up and possibly chase me.<p>

"Good to see you, Cloud." I said as I appeared before the blonde 'hero'.  
>"Sephiroth! What do you want?" he asked in surprise. I tossed the rose at his feet.<br>"You seem to not have a reason to fight me. I have supplied you with a reason. If you wish to face me, find me. If you don't, I'll keep giving you reasons to fight me." I replied.  
>"Why are you doing this?" Cloud asked with a blank tone. Typical hero that feels no pain, or does a great job covering it up.<br>"All will be revealed. Just you wait and see." I replied and left the Cosmos warrior to decide.

I wandered who next to skewer and take something from. Tifa was definitely one. That one would tip him over the edge. I don't want to do that just as yet. Tidus and Cecil are next. Cloud won't know what hit him. This is my best plan yet, kill off his closest friends and watch the waterworks burst.

Golbez left Cecil to gaze at his shiny new crystal. This was easier than I thought. I snuck up behind him and stabbed Masamune through his middle. I pulled the blade out and let him drop to the ground. I picked up Cecil's gleaming crystal and smiled. That was target two out of four. I just hope he doesn't realise what I'm doing too early. For his own sake, I hope he never figures it out.

Cloud wandered around many dungeons full of carbon imposters, hoping to find his crystal. Like a rat in a maze with cheese at the end. I remembered Lightning and for one second, I almost lost myself again. I kept my composure and encountered the brainless puppet once more.  
>"Cloud, why haven't you been looking for me yet?" I asked mockingly. He stared up at me like he was surprised to see me. I smirked evilly. I threw Cecil's crystal to Cloud and he caught it. He inspected it and wandered what it was.<br>"It's Cecil's crystal." I replied and left him figure the rest out once more.

Two more targets to go. Tidus was crying after having a heart to heart with his father.  
>"Ah, the family resemblance. I see it now." I said and Tidus turned to face me.<br>"You! You injured Firion and Cecil!" Tidus exclaimed.  
>"And now, you." I replied and slashed at him eight times. I picked up the weakling and threw him against the wall. Tidus couldn't get up after that blow and I took his necklace off of his head. Target three, eliminated, for now.<p>

I found Cloud talking with Tifa and he gave her a ring. He bent down onto one knee and popped the question. He's too young for that, I guess I'm doing him a favour. She said yes and they kissed before he even had time to slide the ring onto her finger. I smirked. Perfect. He and Tifa walked towards his tent. I threw Tidus' necklace at him. The necklace hit him on the back of his head. He picked up the necklace and I stepped out of the darkness to confirm his suspicions. Tifa called for him and he followed his new fiancé.

The next morning, Cloud wandered away before Tifa even woke up. When she came out, she had no idea where he was. I knew Cloud couldn't be too far away. So I acted.  
>"Tifa Lockhart. Meet your demise." I said as I drew Masamune and went to strike her down. She dodged my attack and went to strike me. I caught her foot and twisted her body awkwardly. I slammed my foot into her ankle and let go of her foot. She collapsed and whimpered. I saw Cloud come around the corner and stare at the battle scene. I smiled, walked over to the whimpering feint brawler and struck her like I did Aerith all those years ago. Cloud rushed to Tifa's side but it was too late. I pulled Masamune out of her torso and chuckled.<p>

"Why did you hurt her?" Cloud asked with Tifa limp in his arms. I could see the tears welling up in his eyes.  
>"I wanted to prove a point." I replied. Cloud stared at Tifa in horror and let a tear run down his cheek.<br>"Well, have you found your reason yet?" I asked. Cloud shook his head. I slapped the boy over the back of his spiked head.  
>"You should have." I replied and used the tip of Masamune to gently cut into the skin of his neck.<br>"What have I done to you?!" Cloud exclaimed and held the dead girl close to his chest.  
>"I want you to suffer like I have. I could kill a thousand Tifas and a hundred thousand Aeriths... hell, I could even blow up Niebelheim like Shinra did Banora twenty times and you still wouldn't feel what I do every day! You wouldn't! It doesn't matter what I do to you, you still won't suffer like I do." I replied and looked up at the stormy sky. It's been like that since Lightning died. I closed my eyes and sighed.<p>

When my eyes opened again, Angeal's buster sword was at my throat. I chuckled and gripped Masamune tightly. He went to strike me and I parried his attack. He staggered and I stabbed my katana through his torso and held him up to the cloudy sky. He slowly slid down my sword, as he always does before beating me. Not this time, I said to myself as I flung him off the sword and onto the ground below. Cloud had dropped Angeal's sword and I picked it up. I held it up to the sun and closed my eyes. I'm not honourable Angeal, and I know you know that. I opened my eyes again and used the buster sword to stab Cloud in the side. For some particular reason, Genesis' blade fell out of the sky and struck Cloud in the leg. I looked up to the heavens and smiled. At least I knew my friends were watching over me.

Suddenly, a figure began to glow in my arms. I was confused at first, but then the features became more defined and I realised who it was.  
>"Lightning?" I asked in surprise and knelt to the ground with her in my arms, hoping for an answer.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

"Lightning?" I heard a familiar voice puncture the darkness with my name.  
>"Lightning?" It was dark and haunted, just like his.<br>"Lightning?" The voice became a little frantic. I felt a warm presence penetrate the cold that held me asleep. I woke up in the arms of a man I recognised. He flipped the veil over my head.  
>"Lightning..." he cooed as he pressed his lips against mine. After seconds pressed up against one another, he released my lips from his. I know that kiss anywhere.<br>"Sephiroth." I replied. My vision cleared and indeed, it was Sephiroth. I kissed his lips and tangled my hands in his silky, smooth, silver hair. Our lips parted once more. Sephiroth saw the ring on my finger and gasped.  
>"It's a long story." I replied.<br>"Tell me." He said with a sour tone.  
>"I woke up back home and found out that I was arranged to be married with this guy I don't even like and I was never told. The ceremony hadn't officially started before I blacked out again." I replied. Sephiroth placed his hand on my cheek and kissed me.<p>

"I love you." Sephiroth said. My heart melted when he said that.  
>"I love you too." I replied and I flung my arms around his neck. He pulled me up and took out a small black charm. An angel wing. I held out my bracelet and he clipped it on. Sephiroth then kissed my cheek. I ripped the measly ring off my finger and threw it away. Somehow, my diary and my gunblade were hidden in the mountains of material. He pulled the veil off of my head and kissed my neck.<br>"You look beautiful." He said.  
>"Thanks. You haven't changed a bit." I replied and wound my fingers around his bangs. I looked behind him to find Cloud and Tifa butchered on the ground.<br>"Um, should I ask?" I questioned and pointed to the dead people. He turned and shrugged his shoulders.  
>"Meh, don't bother. All that matters is that you're here now." He replied.<p>

Cosmos sat on her throne and oversaw everything. She got up and wandered over to us.  
>"Lightning? What are you doing here?" she asked.<br>"You tell me." I replied. I saw Sephiroth smile and I wandered what was up with him.  
>"That dragon. I think he did it. I've been meaning to ask Garland about it, but never got around to it." Sephiroth said.<br>"Shinryu... the beast feeding off of the memories and strength of fallen warriors. Revives them and lets them fall again. Once their energy and memories are spent, they are removed from the fight." Cosmos explained.  
>"So, remind me to thank Shinryu." I said.<br>"Why?" Cosmos asked.  
>"Ah, the wedding." Sephiroth replied and I nodded. He took me into his arms and kissed me. Our lips caressed endlessly. Cosmos cleared her throat and we pulled away.<br>"You, diary entry." She said, pointing to me.  
>"And you, go! Shoo!" Cosmos exclaimed to Sephiroth. He winked at me and waved me goodbye. I gave him a wave back and Cosmos eyed me. I pulled out my diary and wrote again.<p>

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_Welcome me back into the war of the gods. And into Sephiroth's arms. Thank you Shinryu! Now I don't have to marry Cid just as yet! I'm surprised Sephiroth still loves me. It feels good to be back, but weird to be back in a wedding dress... I threw away Cid's ring. But Sephiroth gave me another charm for my bracelet, a black angel wing. I get it. I'm the lightning bolt and he's the black angel wing. That's so adorable! That man sends chills down my spine. I love him. And he loves me back. Who knew that someone could find love whilst at war?  
><em>_Lightning_

I shut my little book and put it away. My gunblade sat awkwardly on the outside of my dress. I don't know how I'm going to fight in it, but at least I don't have to marry Cid at the moment. The Warrior of Light came over to me.  
>"Lightning, Cosmos wants to see you now." He said.<br>"Seriously?" I asked him sarcastically.  
>He stared at me and replied, "Seriously, now." I rolled my eyes and followed him to Cosmos' throne.<p>

She stood in front of the lumbering god of Discord and argued with him.  
>"I don't care about their relationship! She was my warrior to start with!" Cosmos exclaimed. Chaos frowned and crossed his four arms.<br>"Hey! I thought you cared about your warriors!" Chaos replied.  
>"I do! But I also care about the balance of the planet!" Cosmos shouted back. Sephiroth stood by Chaos' side and looked at me with an apologetic look.<br>"I'll leave you to it." The Warrior of Light said to Cosmos and left the conversation to talk with Firion and Cecil.  
>"Cosmos, I want her on my side." Chaos said. "You took one of my warriors already! I've lost eight warriors including her." Cosmos replied.<br>"So, I lost four and you took two of mine! Anyways, we were outnumbered before the manikins." Chaos said.  
>"Yeah, but we are way outnumbered by the manikins!" Cosmos snapped. I've never seen her so red with rage before. Until now... Sephiroth snuck over to me and kissed my cheek.<p>

"Hello, again." He chimed.  
>"Hey." I replied and pressed my lips against his. Cosmos cleared her throat and we parted again. Chaos shook his head at the goddess of Harmony.<br>"You don't care do you?" Chaos asked. Cosmos started swearing at Chaos and then he started swearing at her. It became a loud and aggressive vocal onslaught. Sephiroth took my hand and led me away from the fight.

"You ok?" Sephiroth asked me. He placed his arm around my waist and kissed my cheek.  
>"Yeah, I'm just a little confused, that's all." I replied. I kissed his cheek in return. I could see his cheeks lightly flush pink. I chuckled a little and I lay my head on his shoulder.<br>"I love you." I said. He kissed my kissed my forehead.  
>"I love you too." Sephiroth replied. The way he said it made my heart stop and melt like warm candle wax. I heard a loud roar come from Cosmos' throne.<br>"Chaos sounds pretty furious." Sephiroth said. Then I heard an angry yell come from Cosmos' throne.  
>"I've never seen Cosmos so angry." I replied. We both chuckled and he took my hand in his. Sephiroth then took me back to the argument to see if it had been resolved.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

I wasn't surprised to see that there was no proper conclusion to the argument about Lightning as either a Chaos warrior or a Cosmos warrior. It seemed that all of the warriors had joined in on the argument and it was utter bedlam. Limbs flew everywhere and some of the warriors looked as if they were out for blood. Lightning looked at me with confusion and shock. It seems each side wants an additional person.

Garland was getting up into the Warrior of Light's face and almost looked angry enough to bite the Warrior of Light's head off. The Emperor whacked Firion with his staff and Firion pushed the Wild Rose in his face. The Emperor then swelled up like a balloon. I forgot he was allergic to roses. Then Cloud of Darkness slapped Onion Knight. He completely lost it and slashed at her with his little blade. Cecil and Golbez argued like the siblings they were and almost strangled each other. Exdeath looked like he was having fun tormenting Bartz about his crush on Firion. Terra held her sword up to Kefka's neck and swore at him. Shame I couldn't hear her actual words... that would have been hilarious. Cloud just stood there and watched all of this unfold as Squall punched Ultimecia. Zidane slapped Kuja and then yelped when Kuja pulled his tail. Tidus and Jecht got into a wrestling match and Jecht seemed to be winning.

"Enough!" Chaos bellowed and the fights stopped. Cosmos sighed with her arms crossed.  
>"Fine, Lightning is your problem now." Cosmos replied and sat back down on her throne.<br>"Come." Chaos instructed and we were led into the lair. Lightning's eyes widened with shock. I guess she didn't expect to see a DJ booth and a dance floor in our lair. I chuckled at her shock. She turned to me for an explanation.  
>"Well, the war got boring after you left and we got those. Don't touch the mulch and alcohol mix in Exdeath's tent. Kefka snuck in a few swigs and Exdeath almost sent him to hell. The DJ booth is the Emperor's. He's actually really good at it. Oh, that reminds me... Exdeath gets drunk on the mulch mix every third day and treats us to a different rap every time. Yep. It was still boring without you." I replied and kissed her forehead.<br>"Really?" she asked somewhat hopefully.  
>"Of course." I replied. She chuckled a little.<p>

Garland whooped and we knew what time it was. Party time. And this time, I wouldn't stand in the corner and watch. Not with Lightning beside me. She disappeared from my side and Jecht came over and slapped my back. He still thinks he's my friend. Well, he's back to being an acquaintance now.  
>"Ah, so you are with Lightning. You know, she's just another moody chick with military training." Jecht said. I looked at him and rolled my eyes.<br>"Soldiers have their emotions drummed out of them so they won't freeze up before killing somebody or having a nervous breakdown over the death of a random by their hands." I replied.  
>"Yeah, says Mr. Ruthless himself!" Jecht exclaimed. I rolled my eyes again at the ignorant athlete. He wandered off to socialise with the fellow Chaos warriors.<p>

Lightning returned to my side and squeezed my hand. I kissed her soft lips briefly then pulled away. I really did miss the electric feeling her kisses left on my lips. I heard her giggle quietly when Garland started to dance to the Emperor's beats. I wrapped my arm around her waist. Her head lent against my shoulder.  
>"What's going on?" She asked.<br>"Party night." I replied. She looked at me with those ice blue eyes that seemed to glimmer with delight whenever I took her hand.  
>"Exdeath looks... crazy." Lightning commented on the tree. He picked up a mic and began to do one of his pathetic raps.<p>

"My name is Exdeath,  
>I'm a tree obsessed with the Void.<br>I had a sister named Beth,  
>Who I freaking destroyed!<p>

My girlfriend's hot,  
>But she's an ice queen!<br>Ultimecia eats her snot,  
>Now let me hear you scream!<p>

What! What! What! What! Peace out!" the drunk tree exclaimed with a fist pump going. The other warriors went nuts and cheered their lungs out. Lightning laughed almost as hard as I did. My ribs started to ache as the cheering died down.  
>"That's was hilarious!" Lightning exclaimed with a smile on her beautiful face. Her smile is her best weapon. I always feel like she's already won the war, just by smiling.<p>

Exdeath, Jecht and Kefka took to the floor as the Emperor gave them a bass, Kuja rattled a tambourine and Garland picked up his favourite red fiddle. The music began to play and it sounded like Irish folk music. Exdeath, Jecht and Kefka began jumping about and tapping on the floor like absolute morons. The crowd laughed, cheered and clapped with the bass as the dance continued. After they finished, the crowd went nuts and Chaos told us to get some rest.  
>"Hey, Lightning. Do you want to stay in my tent tonight? You know, just until yours goes up?" I asked.<br>"Yeah, sounds good." She replied.

She settled into her own sleeping bag and brought out her diary, which gave me an excuse to write in mine too.

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_I'm so glad Lightning's back. I've missed her so much. She's getting married. That really sucks... Well, at least I can spend some more time with her before the war ends and we never see each other again. Exdeath can really rap sometimes, tonight's rap was pretty hilarious. I mean, about Ultimecia and her nose picking problems... yeah, good thing to rap about. She'll kill you in the morning! Ha ha. Cloud's been off my back lately, that's good. I think he's the only Cosmos warrior without his crystal. Ha! I'm a genius. Anyways, I should be heading off to sleep. Lightning's waiting for me.  
><em>_Sephiroth _


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning dawned in Chaos' lair. I felt a weight press up against my back. I shook my head and sighed. I thought we agreed to stay on the opposite sides of the tent. I was wondering whether I should talk to him about that or not. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I knew I was going to be here a while. I picked up my diary and a pen. I tried to write quietly so I didn't wake up Sephiroth.

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_I never imagined Sephiroth being an affectionate person, but he actually is. It's quite funny and ironic. A cold and ruthless man who's affectionate... I've never heard of such a man. I remember hearing that Cid committed suicide while we were still completing our Focus. So, how is this possible? Do I seriously have to end up like Yuna, having to marry a dead guy and being in love with somebody else? That sucks. I felt really sorry for her when she told me. I don't think that Sephiroth will be getting up anytime soon. Well, he can get away with it this time. Ha ha. I feel him stirring, better see if he's awake.  
><em>_Lightning_

I put my diary away and lay back down.  
>I closed my eyes for just a second when Kefka burst through the opening and shouted, "Wakey wakey! Get up!" Sephiroth almost jumped out of the tent and he sat with a shocked look on his face. I opened my eyes again and chuckled at my one winged angel. Kefka sauntered away and Sephiroth breathed a sigh of relief.<br>"He scares everybody in the morning. Even Chaos. Chaos doesn't like it and Kefka goes missing for a while, but then he comes back for more." Sephiroth replied.  
>"Well, morning." I mused quietly.<br>He crawled over to me and whispered, "Morning." He pressed his lips up against mine and held my waist. Our lips locked and unlocked whilst my hands were busy getting tangled in his hair. I wanted it to go on forever, just the two of us, together. Without Kefka or Chaos or Cosmos or even Cid to worry about.

Kefka snuck back into the tent. Even though I couldn't see him, I heard his muffled laughter.  
>"Meow meow, Sephiroth! Meow! That is cute!" Kefka exclaimed as a bright flash made us pull away to rub our stunned eyes. It was a Polaroid camera that produced those instant photos and Kefka flapped the photo in our faces. Once it was fully developed, he looked at it and smiled creepily.<br>"Now that is cute!" He exclaimed and showed us the photo briefly. I picked up my Blazefire Pistol and aimed at him.  
>"One, two... Don't make me say three." I taunted. "Fine, fine, fine! I'm leaving!" He exclaimed with his hands in the air and left the tent. Sephiroth pulled me down onto him and whispered my name in my ear. I let go of my gun and wrapped my arms around him. I could get used to this... I laughed quietly to myself before pressing my lips up against his. Sephiroth decided to be a little cheeky at this point and let his hands go wandering. I realised his lips from mine when his hands rested on my lower back. He looked at me with an apologetic smile. I kissed his forehead and got up.<p>

"Come on, get up." I said. He sighed and left the tent. I put my diary into the pocket of my Sanctum uniform and the Blazefire Pistol in its sheath. I left the tent and Sephiroth wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck. I turned around in his arms and kissed him back. Jecht walked over to us and slapped Sephiroth's back. He didn't look all that happy. Jecht stared at me.  
>"Where's the dress?" Jecht asked.<br>"In Sephiroth's tent. For now." I replied. Sephiroth cleared his throat and shook his head at Jecht.  
>"What? I want some of your action!" Jecht replied and Sephiroth smacked him on the head. It sounded like a wet fish slapping concrete. It sounded painful.<br>"Keep your hands off of Lightning and we shouldn't have a problem." Sephiroth said with a cold and evil death stare.  
>"What if I do this?" Jecht asked and tried to take me into his arms. I pushed him off of me and punched him the jaw.<br>"Crap! That hurt!" Jecht exclaimed.  
>Sephiroth stared him down and replied, "You do anything to her, and I with make Jecht sir fry for the whole population of us Chaos warriors. Got it?" Jecht nodded quickly and left.<p>

"Whoa. Where did that come from?" I asked.  
>"I had to train one of the untrainable SOLDIER second classes back in the days of glory. Without threats or expectations, people walk all over you, no matter how famous or strong you are." Sephiroth replied with an evil smile. I chuckled and he took me in his arms again. He kissed me, the released me.<br>"Let's put up your tent." Sephiroth said.  
>I sighed and replied, "Ok."<p>

It only took twenty minutes to put up. Would have taken less time if Sephiroth hadn't have kissed me every two minutes. I don't mind all the affection. I like it actually. I like the Sephiroth I'm getting to know. He very rarely talked about this mother of his. Everyone says he used to drone on about her, but he doesn't when he's with me. I wonder why? He helped me move my dress into the tent along with my other things.  
>"All done." He replied and brushed his hands together. I kissed his cheek and turned to walk away.<br>"Where are you going?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. He kissed my forehead and pulled me closer. My heart stopped as his eyes stared into my very soul.  
>"Come on." Was all he said as he pulled me into my tent.<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_I love Lightning. I really do. If this is a dream, will I remember her when I wake up? I sure hope so. She makes me feel so happy and well... loved. I've never felt this way before about anyone and I think Lightning may be the one for me. I wonder if she'd mind me breaking up the wedding after the war? I don't think she'd mind at all. Or would she? She says she doesn't love the guy but, I'm not too sure... I'll have to check with her about that. I would do anything for Lightning. Anything at all. I would be her slave if she'd let me. Got to go, the blonde moron (Cloud) is coming to get his crystal.  
><em>_Sephiroth_

Lightning is out with Cloud of Darkness and Ultimecia learning how to summon manikins at her will. That would be hilarious, but I have to do something about Cloud. He's been really annoying lately. Speaking of the devil, he showed up, ready to fight me. But he had a white manila folder with him.  
>"Sephiroth, you have lied to your whole life." Cloud announced and showed me the folder. It had 'Project S' scribbled over the front.<br>"What are those?" I asked.

"Your records. I stole them from Shinra when I set the place on fire." Cloud replied.  
>"You did what?" I asked, shocked that he would do such a thing.<br>"I was with AVALANCHE at the time!" Cloud snapped.  
>"Your mother is not Jenova. She's not. You just have some of her cells. That's it. No relation whatsoever!" Cloud exclaimed. I was surprised to hear him tell me this.<br>"Look, I've noticed a change in you since you started dating Lightning. You seem to be getting your old personality back. You can go from being a villain, back to being a hero. I believe you can. If you knew the truth, you would stop serving Jenova altogether and try to make your birth parents proud." Cloud explained.  
>"I have birth parents?" I asked in shock. I never stopped for one second and took the chance to search up my family history in Midgar. I should have taken that chance. But maybe not. If I didn't take that chance, I never would have met Lightning. But Cloud is right. I can turn my life around and be the hero Lightning deserves.<p>

"Yeah, you do. Do want me to tell you, or do you want to read for yourself?" Cloud asked. He waved the folder in my face. I snatched it out of his hands and read it over.  
>"Read it aloud." Cloud instructed. I rolled my eyes and humoured the boy.<br>"This is all useless!" I exclaimed.  
>"Read page five." Cloud replied. I moved to page five to find a family tree.<br>"What?" I asked quietly.  
>"Yeah, read it out loud." Cloud replied.<br>"My mother is Lucrecia Crescent and my father is Hojo? Oh my God!" I exclaimed.  
>"That's right. Two Shinra scientists. You weren't told the truth as Hojo thought it might stop you from training. Your poor mother never saw you. Not even at birth." Cloud replied.<br>"That's really sad." I said and looked down at the ground.  
>"Hey, listen. Don't worry about it." Cloud replied and patted my back.<p>

"Hey, help me with this crystal and I'll help you." Cloud said.  
>"How can you help me?" I asked with a confused tone.<br>"Well, I'll help you... I don't know at the moment." Cloud replied.  
>"I knew it." I said and turned to walk away. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the conversation.<br>"I know that you don't believe me. But it's all true." Cloud replied. I thought about this for a moment and I knew that he was telling the truth, kind of.  
>He crossed his chest and said, "Honest." I could use a little help.<br>"Fine. I'll help you and you can help me." I replied. Cloud nodded and suggested that we fight so he can gain his crystal. I agreed and then we drew our swords.

Cloud's crystal appeared in before him in the shape of green materia.  
>"Nice work." Cloud said.<br>"Thanks, you too." I replied.  
>"And now, I'll help you. What would you like help with?" Cloud asked. I pondered this for a moment and then it hit me.<br>"Help me stand up to Jenova. Help me gain my independence back." I replied. Cloud thought about this for a moment and then clicked his fingers.  
>"Got it! You have to know what to say and how to say it." Cloud said. I looked at him in confusion.<br>"Ok, you want independence? Tell her you don't want any part of her schemes anymore." Cloud explained.  
>"Ah, right." I replied. After at least an hour of figuring out what I was going to say to Jenova, Cloud thought I was going to be fine. We parted ways and I headed back to the lair.<p>

Lightning wasn't back yet with her 'mentors'. I knew she would be fine. She's trained to handle different situations with ease. Like me. It's funny how similar SOLDIER and Sanctum train their employees. Kefka pranced up beside me and stared at me.  
>"So! I heard someone was getting a little too loved up last night... You and Lightning. I know what happened." Kefka whispered.<br>"Oh shut up." I snapped. Kefka stared at me with disgust and then confusion.  
>"You too got very intimate last night..." Kefka mused.<br>"Hey, listen here you pathetic excuse for a circus act! Nothing happened last night. It was just a make out session. Nothing else. I swear, nothing else." I replied. Kefka looked at me and shrugged his shoulders.  
>"I knew that. Just testing you." Kefka said and pranced off again.<br>"Now that's mentally unstable." I said and rolled my eyes at the ignorant clown. I sat in my tent and brought out my diary.

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_To make myself very clear, Lightning and I only made out that night. Nothing else happened. I swear on Jenova's grave that we didn't do anything else. Yes Kefka, I am telling the complete truth. If you don't believe me, I have no proof. Except asking Lightning. She's my only alibi. Anyways, that clown has been on my nerves since day one. He's back for more. Got to go.  
><em>_Sephiroth_


	13. Chapter 13

"So, I heard you and Sephiroth really got it on last night." Ultimecia said. She smirked and chuckled a little. Very creepy.  
>"No, it wasn't like that. It was just kissing. That's all." I replied. I crossed my arms at my fellow Chaos warriors.<br>"We know, just pulling your leg." Cloud of Darkness said. She and Ultimecia laughed and I felt a little left out. At least they helped me learn how to summon manikins. So far, I can summon up to seven in a row. I'm pretty proud of myself. Things have been looking up for me since last night when my crystal appeared to me. I was right. Loving Sephiroth was the catalyst to my crystal.

We headed back to the lair, only to find the warriors of Cosmos and the goddess herself before the god of Discord. Chaos obliterated her in a ball of fire and the warriors slowly disappeared from the war. Sephiroth held my waist and pulled me closer.  
>"I love you." Sephiroth whispered into my ear.<br>"I love you too." I replied and kissed his cheek. I heard a few comments about our little "I love you"s. His green eyes always seemed to glimmer lately. He must have been happy about something. Night fell again and Sephiroth bid me goodnight. He kissed my forehead and went into his own tent. I entered my own tent and stroked the charm bracelet. I still couldn't believe what had happened in this war. I picked up my diary and wrote another entry.

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_I love Sephiroth. He's like a dream come true. I can't help but to remember what Cid told me before the wedding when Serah and Snow were in another room. I asked him how he survived being shot in the head. Turns out, the shot missed and only caused minor damage. Because, being a l'Cie means you're tougher to kill. His parents did plan this, mine weren't involved at all. Lie number one. He doesn't love me; he just wants to frame me for his suicide attempt on the honeymoon. Lie number two. He's only using the marriage to exact revenge on me. That moron doesn't know what's coming! Anyways, it's getting late. I'd better sign off and get some rest.  
><em>_Lightning_

I shut my little book and went to sleep. The next day dawned and I got out of my tent. Garland was instructing Kuja and Ultimecia to do something. They nodded and headed off. I walked up to the stressed knight.  
>"Garland? What's going on?" I asked.<br>"It's Jecht. He's gone missing. I've sent Kuja and Ultimecia to try and retrieve him." Garland replied.  
>"I hope they find him soon." I said and he nodded. Sephiroth came up behind me and kissed my cheek.<br>"Morning." He chirped.  
>"Morning." I mused in return. I pressed my lips lightly against his.<br>"Jecht's gone missing." I told Sephiroth when I pulled away.  
>"Really?" He asked. I nodded.<br>"Yeah, Garland sent two other warriors to go and find him." I replied.  
>"Wow, I hope they find him soon. The Cosmos warriors have been resurrected due to them gaining their crystals. So, they might be the ones behind his disappearance." Sephiroth said.<br>"You may be right." I replied.

Kuja and Ultimecia went missing as well as Jecht. They were supposed to come back in two hours, but they didn't come back at all. The Emperor and Exdeath came back from scouting the areas.  
>"The warriors of Cosmos are advancing towards the lair." Exdeath announced. There was uneasy chattering among us warriors. Sephiroth did look a little worried about our predicament. I was starting to get a little worried myself.<br>"What are we going to do?" I asked.  
>"Fight for survival. I guess." Sephiroth replied. The noise that our stress created made Chaos' roar seem quiet. Kefka was shouting and crying for Kuja. Garland was a wreck without Ultimecia. He was very aggressive and started to break boulders around the lair. He also swore very loudly and punched Golbez. It was major turmoil. Things were thrown around and people were getting tackled all over the place.<p>

Chaos roared in order to break up the bedlam that was going on around him. The roar was drowned out by everyone's chaotic behaviour.  
>"HEY!" Chaos exclaimed louder than anyone had ever heard. The mayhem stopped and everyone stared at him. But Chaos wasn't finished with us yet. He lectured us about our pervious behaviour and swore at us at the top of his lungs. Sephiroth covered my ears when Chaos got a little too hyped up on swearing. I chuckled quietly. Sephiroth can be a really sweet guy if he's been given the chance. I removed his hands from my ears and wrapped his arms around my waist.<br>"Thanks, but I'll be fine." I replied and kissed Sephiroth's cheek. Chaos stopped his ranting and raving and calmed down.  
>"Let's not freak out people... ok, listen. We will be fine if nobody else goes missing." Chaos said and took a few deep breaths.<p>

Garland called Sephiroth, Kefka and Exdeath over and explained something to them. They nodded and then Sephiroth wandered over here. He looked a little sullen.  
>"Hey Lightning, um. I have to go and try to find the three missing warriors. I hope you'll be ok without me." Sephiroth said.<br>"I hope you find them." I replied. I felt around my pocket and pulled out my survival knife.  
>"I want you to take my survival knife, for luck." I said and put the knife in his hand.<br>"Thanks." He replied. Kefka pranced over and watched. Sephiroth took my hands and kissed my forehead.  
>"Aw! That's so cute!" Kefka mused and wiggled his fingers. Sephiroth rolled his eyes at the clown. Exdeath walked over slowly.<br>"Are you harassing them, Kefka?" Exdeath asked. Kefka smirked and shrugged his shoulders.  
>"Sephiroth, we have to go." Exdeath said.<br>"I love you." He said.  
>"I love you too." I replied.<p>

"Goodbye." I said.  
>"Goodbye." He replied. He pressed his lips against mine. Our lips locked and unlocked continuously. I felt him sigh heavily as my hands got tangled in his hair. His hands ran up and down my back as our embrace tightened. Kefka giggled crazily and Exdeath smacked him. Our lips pulled away and Sephiroth pulled me into a hug.<br>"I'll miss you." He cooed.  
>"I'll miss you too." I replied and kissed his soft lips once more before pulling away. He went to leave and then pulled me back into his arms again.<br>"Where's the wedding?" Sephiroth asked me.  
>"Gran Pulse. A town called New Bodhum. A church almost on the outskirts of town." I replied.<br>"Great. Goodbye, Lightning." Sephiroth said.  
>"Goodbye Sephiroth." I replied and we shared another kiss. He left with Kefka and Exdeath. I sighed. I had a funny feeling that we were going to go missing one by one.<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

Kefka, Exdeath and I wandered the Land of Discord searching for Jecht, Kuja and Ultimecia. Kefka wandered off and left Exdeath and I alone.  
>"I wonder if the clown has found the Void yet..." Exdeath said. I rolled my eyes and wondered how Lightning was without me. At least she didn't have to deal with the creepy clown and the possessed tree.<p>

"Hey! Check it out! I found a lost diary!" Kefka exclaimed as he pranced back to the two of us. Exdeath snatched it out of Kefka's hands and read the first entry.  
>"That's a Cosmos warrior's. Goes by the name of... Kain?" Exdeath said as he tried to read the messy scrawl on the pages.<br>"Move it!" I exclaimed as I picked the book up and read the untidy handwriting.  
>"This is of no use to us. He left the war closing the door to the Rift, remember?" I asked as I threw the book back at Kefka. He flicked through it and laughed.<br>"He liked your girlfriend! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Kefka mused. I rolled my arms at the clown and folded my arms across my chest. Exdeath smacked the book out of his hands and we continued onwards.

There weren't many manikins left roaming the lands around us. Kefka pretty much shed a tear every time he saw a Kuja manikin. It reminded me of a time before I actually had really talked to Lightning. I could empathise with the clown. I know what it's like to lose someone you love. Exdeath tried to hide when he saw a Cloud of Darkness manikin. There were hardly any Lightning ones, which made missing her easier to deal with. Exdeath and Kefka brought out their diaries and started to write in them. So I decided to do so as well.

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_After the war, I'm going to go to Gran Pulse. To the town of New Bodhum. I'm not going to mess around. Lightning means more to me than anything. I don't want her to be unhappy. Her smile brightens up my day, when she does that is. Her survival knife is completely different to anything on Gaia. It makes me wonder what Cocoon and Gran Pulse really are like. I wonder if the monsters are more of a challenge or if there are any folklore to both planets. Not only am I going to go to Gran Pulse, but I wish to find my real mother; Lucrecia Crescent. I'm also looking forward to telling Jenova how peeved off I am about her not telling me the truth. I almost forgot about the ring. I was supposed to give it to her before I left. Damn... too late now. Oh well. Exdeath and Kefka are getting impatient.  
><em>_Sephiroth_

I closed the book and put it away. My two allies waited for me and I caught up to them. I felt around in my pocket to find Lightning's survival knife and the box containing the ring. My forgetfulness is quite annoying. Kefka took the box from my hand and opened it.  
>"Wow! Pretty ring!" Kefka exclaimed. Exdeath glanced at it and gasped.<br>"Whoa! Two big rocks! Lucky girl, that one." Exdeath replied. I held my hand out to Kefka. It wouldn't be as easy to get the ring back as that. Kefka closed the box and held it to his chest.  
>"My ring!" He hissed.<br>"Give it back. It's for Lightning." I snapped.  
>"Touchy!" he exclaimed and threw the box at me. I checked to see if the ring was still there and yes it was. A white gold ring with a diamond and pure thunder materia. Nothing but the best for Lightning.<p>

We moved further away from the lair and called each of the missing warriors by name.  
>"Kuja! Kuja!" Kefka called dramatically.<br>"Hey! Ultimecia! Ultimecia!" Exdeath exclaimed into the distance.  
>"Jecht! Jecht!" I shouted. No reply from any of the warriors. Kefka was in hysterics and ran off again.<br>"That's another one gone." Exdeath said and shook his head. I soon spotted the clown running away from that Terra girl who chased him with one of her spells. The little Onion Knight chased after her. I chuckled at the scene. It was quite hilarious. Exdeath laughed heartily and then spotted Bartz running towards him with Zidane and Squall in tow. He turned and walked at a snail's pace away. Cloud showed up with Firion, Tidus and Cecil behind him.

I knew this was coming. Revenge. I knew the word well. I also am fairly well acquainted with the word defeat.  
>"Sephiroth, it's over for you." Cloud announced and held up Angeal's buster sword. I gripped Lightning's survival knife tightly and flicked it out. The blade pointed towards Cloud.<br>"A knife? Really?" Tidus taunted. Then I realised that I was being irrational. A knife would be too slow. I flicked the blade back in and put it away. I pulled out Masamune and pointed it at the four Cosmos warriors.

Cloud flicked his hair in my direction and put his weapon away. His friends did the same and joined him in some weird hair flipping dance. I chuckled so much that I found it hard to concentrate. Then it clicked. That was the idea. I shook my head and struck down Firion. When Cecil had his back turned, I struck him as well. Tidus fell by my blade not long afterwards. Then I brought down Cloud with ease. I smirked and left the battleground. But the warriors got up and charged at me. Four to one was an easy odd, but even I was finding it difficult handling the warriors after they kept rising. This must have been their frustration before the door to the Rift was closed.

"It's over." Cloud said as he held the buster sword up to my neck. I was surrounded and Tidus had Cecil and Firion help him hold up Masamune. I gripped the knife and held the blade down by my side. Just as Cloud went to finish me, I struck him and managed to get Masamune back with little effort. I put the knife away and saw what was really going on. Terra and the Onion Knight were there behind the four warriors. Then, they were joined by Bartz, Squall and Zidane. I was well out numbered. Revenge. Ganging up on us like the manikins did them. I get it. No need to tell me twice. I tried to cut my way through the crowd, but they ended up overpowering me and had me pushed to the ground in seconds.  
>"Like I said, Sephiroth. It's over." Cloud said and struck me once more.<p>

My vision left and the last sounds I heard was the crunching of the ground under a crowd's feet. When my hearing left, my whole world was dark.


	15. Chapter 15

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_I can't believe it. Sephiroth's gone missing along with Jecht, Kuja, Ultimecia, Kefka and Exdeath. There are only five of us left including myself. We have no hope left. Argh... it's like the door to the Rift all over again. Outnumbered and helpless. But, I still can't get over the fact that Sephiroth's gone and that I may never see him again. Great, I hear Cloud of Darkness crying again. She's shattered that Exdeath is missing also. Garland hasn't been any better. He's actually a very depressed man. The only people not grieving for their love is Golbez and the Emperor. Things are too quiet here. Even Chaos has been extremely moody since he obliterated Cosmos. It's a very depressed place here at the lair. I wish Sephiroth were here... the Bodhum fireworks won't even grant this one wish. Wishing isn't worth the effort anymore... I've got to go, Golbez and the Emperor want to see me.  
><em>_Lightning_

I closed my diary and put it away whilst wiping a lone tear from my eye. I left my tent and met up with Golbez and the Emperor.  
>"Give me your crystal." The Emperor said and held out his hand. I smacked it away and folded my arms across my chest. He didn't look to happy with me.<br>"Don't give me attitude!" he snapped.  
>"I'm going to try and find the others for an emergency Chaos warrior meeting at the throne. Be there." Golbez said left the argument waiting to happen.<br>"That's not attitude Mr. Emperor! This is attitude!" I replied and punched him in the jaw and the kneed his stomach. When he bent over to grasp his aching stomach, I swung my elbow and whacked him on the side of the face. He fell over and moaned. I bent down to his level and smirked.  
>"Don't test me, your highness." I snapped and left him to get up for himself.<p>

I met up with the other warriors at Chaos' throne. Garland and Golbez were both in charge of this meeting as Chaos was not in the mood to talk, as per usual.  
>"Guys, focus! Look, we may be outnumbered, but together we're strong! We can do this!" Garland exclaimed. Golbez tried to console Chaos, but he rejected his help. As per usual. And, Garland was right. We all had gone with our own plans of world domination or whatever, as the Cosmos warriors banded together and picked us off like a killer would a group of teens lost in the woods in one of those stupid teen horror movies Serah loved to watch so much. If we banded together from the start, we would have won this thing already. The others didn't understand this like I did. So, I stepped in.<p>

"Hey! Garland has a point. That's why we're getting picked off, because we don't work together! If we do, we still could have a chance to win this and go home! If Chaos won't help us anymore, we have to help each other. That's how the Cosmos warriors are still going. They have their crystals and each other. We may not have crystals, but we can win this! It won't be easy... But we have to get rid of their crystals. It's what's keeping them here. Shards of Cosmos. That's what the crystals are. Now, who's ready to wreck hell on the Cosmos' warriors and avenge our fallen?" I asked the group. They seemed to be picking up what I was saying and even to my surprise, Chaos was interested.  
>"Really? The crystals keep them here? Hmm..." Chaos replied. Score one for me. Garland and Golbez looked at me in surprise.<br>"Who's crystal do we steal first?" The Emperor asked.  
>"The Warrior of Light. Like Garland, he had a close relationship with their deity. Without him, all organisation will fade." I replied.<br>"It's handy we have Lightning. She knows how they work." Cloud of Darkness said.

Turns out, taking and destroying the crystals were harder than I thought. We actually lost three more warriors by banding together. Well, the Emperor wanted no part and he was taken out first. All that was left of the Chaos side were; Chaos himself, Garland and myself. Things began to look grim for us.  
>"I was wrong. I'm sorry." I said. Garland actually really supportive about it.<br>"Hey, at least we gave our last option a try." Garland replied. Chaos was getting worse. He was starting to think about destroying it all, as he never wanted to fight Cosmos to start off with.  
>"I'll stop the warriors from advancing. You try and keep Chaos sane." Garland instructed. I nodded and Garland left the lair, most likely to go missing as well. I sighed and turned to the sullen god.<p>

"Come on Chaos! It's not that bad." I replied. He moaned and hit his head against his throne a few times before complaining of a headache.  
>"Oh, Chaos... what am I going to do with you?" I asked with a defeated sigh. Without Sephiroth, I really saw no point in going on. I just have to get Chaos' mind off of Cosmos and he should be fine.<br>"How about board games? No? Umm... I could get you a videogame? No? Oh, damn... Music? Argh! Speak, Chaos, speak!" I exclaimed in frustration. He looked up at me.  
>"A videogame would be nice. Make sure it's violent." He replied. Finally, he speaks. I brought him one of Snow's all time favourite violent games; Murder Street. The player controls the killer who goes around killing people to dominate the world. Ironic for a man who wants to be the hero. Chaos sat there for hours and didn't even complain about Cosmos or that headache he had a while ago. He shouted with joy when he slashed five people in half at once by the press of a button. That game was actually pretty fun if I do say so myself.<p>

I had a lot of time to think about my fate beyond the war. Marry Cid, watch him commit suicide, get blamed for it and then go to jail for all of eternity. Fun. And then I thought about my love, Sephiroth and what my life might be like if I married him instead. Wishful thinking. The warriors of Cosmos arrived at the lair and I stood in their way.  
>"Hey, um. You really don't want to go in there." I said.<br>"Why?" The warrior of Light asked.  
>"Chaos is in a vicious mood. Don't disturb him. If you do, you're dead. Literally." I replied and looked back at the entertained god of Discord.<br>"Yeah! Look at that blood! The graphics are awesome!" Chaos exclaimed. I smiled nervously as I saw the Cosmos warriors' faces. They were shocked. They started to try and get past me. I pulled out Zantestuken and barred their path.  
>"If you want the end of the world, you have to go through me first!" I exclaimed. They pulled out their blades and backed down the stairs to a stage that fit all of them plus me.<p>

I used the twin blades to try and even my odds. When they all fell to the ground as a result of Zantestuken, they got straight back up and continued to batter me. There was too many of them for me to dodge all of their attacks. Squall used his gunblade to force me to let go of one of the blades. It went flying and landed in the ground a few feet away from me. I swung the blade in my left to keep them back as I edged towards the other half of the twin blades. Zidane ran behind me and tripped me over. I fell backward and almost lost my head. The sharp edges of the other blade loomed over me and threatened to fall onto me. Zidane picked up the other blade and tossed it away. The Warrior of Light stepped forward and raised his blade.  
>"Forgive me." He said and brought it down onto me. He removed his sword from my torso and they headed up to Chaos. My mind went blank and the darkness flooded my whole body.<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

"Sephiroth! Wake up!" I heard Kadaj cry.  
>"Kadaj, stop crying!" I heard Yazoo exclaim.<br>"Yeah, shut up!" I heard Loz reply. What are they doing back from the Lifestream? I slowly opened my eyes and Kadaj jumped down to the ground and hugged me.  
>"I missed you big brother." Kadaj cried.<br>"What are you doing back from the Lifestream?" I asked and pushed Kadaj off of me.  
>"Mother brought us back." Yazoo replied whilst cleaning his gun. I got off the ground and Loz got all in my face.<br>"You want to play?" He asked.  
>"No, get lost!" I exclaimed and pushed him out of my personal space. Loz looked at me with the eyes of a sad puppy dog. Kadaj was looking at Yazoo with a frying pan in his hands. He smacked Yazoo on the head with the frying pan and Yazoo slapped Kadaj with his gun. I'm glad that they are only my remnants and not my brothers. I spotted Jenova come into the room and try to break up the fighting.<p>

This is it. I'm standing up to Jenova.  
>"You lied to me! You knew the truth and yet you didn't tell me! I trusted you and I never got the truth! I had to learn it from my enemy! Thank you very much Jenova!" I exclaimed.<br>"Sephiroth! What's up with you? Did you hit your head too hard?" she turned to me and went to stroke my head. I batted her hands away and turned my back to her.  
>"Leave me alone. I don't want to serve you anymore." I replied and crossed my arms across my chest.<br>"What happened to you my son?" she asked. There was a pain in her voice. A small part of me wanted to say sorry, but the larger part of me wanted to kill her. "I'm not your son." I replied.

All of a sudden, Cloud and his party came in through the door and took down the idiots that fought to no end in the living space. Barrett went to shoot me but Cloud stopped him. He nodded to me and I nodded back. Tifa and Yuffie looked at Cloud in confusion.  
>"What's going on?" Yuffie asked.<br>"Sephiroth, this can wait. We will talk after you dispose of these people." Jenova said.  
>"No, we talk now." I replied. She threw her arms up in the air and then crossed them.<br>"I am your mother and you will listen to me. Do you hear me?" Jenova asked in a sour tone.  
>"I already told you! You're not my freaking mother! Just leave me alone!" I exclaimed. She slapped me across my face.<br>"How dare you speak to me like that!" Jenova hissed. I rubbed the red mark on my face and shook my head.  
>"I will dare to speak to you like that! I'm done being your puppet! I'm done being your yes man! I'm done with you!" I snapped. She really began to look furious.<br>"Grow up Jenova! I've seen the fires of bedlam! I've faced the wrath of Discord. I've worked with the most aggravating people in the universe and you expect me to be scared of you?" I asked in fury.

Her eyes widened in shock.  
>"What's going on?" Tifa asked.<br>"Sephiroth is gaining his independence back." Cloud said with a smile.  
>"What did that say?" Jenova asked, pointing to Cloud.<br>"That is the person who told me of my real family. And I'm no more related to you than he is. Get the picture?" I asked. She gasped and slapped me again. I stared her down and then swung on her. Yuffie and Tifa stared at me with their mouths gaping.  
>"Uh oh... this is bad! This isn't what we discussed!" Cloud exclaimed.<br>"Huh. Things change. People become unpredictable." I replied. Jenova got off the ground and wiped her lip.  
>"How could you turn on me?' She asked with fury. I shot her a death stare and I saw the shivers run down her spine. I smirked evilly and picked up Kadaj's frypan.<br>"Uh, Sephiroth?" Cloud asked me nervously but I didn't listen to him. I smacked her with the frypan and she fell to the floor. I swung the pan over my shoulder and laughed.  
>"Who knew that frying pans can defeat Jenova?" I asked and threw the frypan onto the unconscious monster.<br>"This isn't what I meant by stating your point." Cloud replied. I chuckled.  
>"That was fun. I enjoyed whacking her with that frypan. It made my day." I laughed.<br>"Are you crazy, fool?" Barrett asked.  
>"Just crazy in love." I replied.<br>"What?" Vincent asked in surprise.  
>"I must go." I replied and turned to leave.<br>"Where are you going?" Cat Sith asked.  
>"To Gran Pulse. I have to visit someone." I replied and left the building.<p>

I went to go find the interdimensional portal that Shinra built. Hojo stood by a cave and then he spotted me. He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the cave. He pushed me into the light.  
>"I know that you know." He said. I crossed my arms and lent against a wall.<br>"So I'm going to get my first lecture from my father, yeah?" I asked and rolled my eyes.  
>"No, meet your real mother. Lucrecia Crescent." Hojo said and she stepped into the light. She had long brown hair that was tied up with a fading yellow ribbon. She had a very delicate face and a charming smile.<br>"Hojo? Is this him?" Lucrecia asked. Hojo nodded.  
>"Sephiroth, my son!" she exclaimed and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back.<br>"Mother." I whispered. She let me go and inspected every inch of me.  
>"I'm so happy to finally see you. After all those years with no contact with you, I think I've gone insane." Lucrecia laughed.<br>"Hm... Then my mind didn't come from you." I chuckled. "Why?" She asked. "I'm a walking mass of complexes, just like my father." I replied. Hojo laughed at my reply.  
>"That's my boy." He said and punched my shoulder weakly. He shook his hand from the pain afterwards. I laughed at my insane father.<br>"I have to go." I said and I turned to leave. Mother grabbed my arm and pulled me back.  
>"Can I come?" She asked. I smiled.<br>"Of course you both can. But try and keep up. I'm on a tight schedule." I replied.  
>"What are we doing?" Hojo asked.<br>"Crashing a wedding." I replied.

I headed towards the portal and started to enter the specific information. Mother and father came to the portal only a couple of seconds later.  
>"Do you know what you're doing?" father asked.<br>"Course I do. Using this is easier and faster than flying." I replied and continued to punch in the information needed. I hit the enter key and the portal opened. We stepped through it and ended up in the world known as Gran Pulse. Monsters flew overhead and the water on the beach was calm. I saw a huge planet being held up by a crystal pillar. I smelt the salty sea air and it reminded me of Costa Del Sol, but a more feral version. Cats ran across the sand and into a building. For a newly build town, it was pretty good. The grass was green and yellow chocobos stood around a building and chirped their bubbly calls.

I walked over to the building with the chocobos outside it. My parents followed behind me. I peered through the crack in the door and saw a mass of people standing over something. I couldn't see what was going on. The crowd was silent and that meant I could hear distinct voices.  
>"Lightning, are you ok?" I heard a male voice ask.<br>"Yeah. I'm alright." Lightning replied. I sighed with relief. Now, I just hope that I hadn't missed the bans.  
>"Sephiroth? What's going on?" Mother asked.<br>"Ssh. I need to listen for my cue." I replied. For a moment there, I sounded a bit like Kuja. My skin crawled at the thought.  
>"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the matrimony of Claire Farron and Cid Raines. Before we proceed, those who do not wish for these two to be joined in matrimony speak now or forever hold your peace." The priest said. A silence followed. I took a deep breath and burst through the doors.<br>"I object!" I exclaimed and all eyes turned to me.


	17. Chapter 17

I turned to see Sephiroth stand in the aisle, objecting to this phony marriage. I pulled the ring off of my finger once more and threw it to Cid's feet.  
>"It's over." I said with a smile and met Sephiroth in the aisle. He lifted the veil from in front of my face and stroked the side of my face.<br>"I love you." He said.  
>"I love you too." I replied and pressed my lips up against his. Our lips caressed one another as we embraced passionately. Our lips parted and he pulled me closer. Cid pulled me away and held a knife to my throat.<br>"You come anywhere near her and she dies!" Cid exclaimed. Sephiroth stepped back and then pointed the end of his katana at Cid and smirked. I chuckled. While Cid was concentrating on not getting stabbed, I got out of his hold on me and flipped him onto the floor.  
>"Yeah, you kind of forgot that women in Sanctum were taught self defence." I replied. I left him on the floor and pulled Sephiroth into my arms before kissing him again.<p>

Serah ran up to me with her eyes wide.  
>"Is that him?" She asked. I nodded. Her eyes widened again due to shock. I just chuckled at my sister.<br>"Sephiroth, this is my sister Serah." I said. Serah waved at Sephiroth and then she looked at the open doors.  
>"Um? Who are they?" Serah asked. Sephiroth and I turned to find Cloud, Tifa and their friends at the door with two people in white lab coats.<br>"Friends." I replied. Tifa was arguing with Cloud. She pulled a ring off of her finger and threw it at him. She then took her friend away from the group. Serah's eyes lit up. I rolled my eyes at my sister.  
>"Earth to Serah! You have a fiancé!" I exclaimed. She pulled the necklace off her neck and threw it to the ground.<br>"Snow, we're over!" She exclaimed and then waltzed up to Cloud. She talked with him and then they linked arms and walked out of the church. Snow picked up the necklace and sniffled a little. He stormed out of the church. My guess was he was going to play Murder Street for two days straight. That's what happened last time when he and Serah had a fight.

I chuckled at Snow. Typical Snow. Cid got off the ground and pushed Sephiroth. Sephiroth barely even stood backward from the force, but he shot a death stare at Raines. This isn't going to end well.  
>"First, you crash my wedding. And then you smooch my girl in front of me? That's going too far!" Cid exclaimed.<br>"No, you went too far by her unhappy. If she's 'your girl', you would care about her happiness, like I do." Sephiroth snapped at Cid. Cid looked a little intimidated by Sephiroth and he has every right to be. I giggled when I saw Cid's worried expression. I wrapped my arms around Sephiroth and he kissed my forehead.  
>"I kind of forgot to tell you something." I said.<br>"What?" he asked a little worriedly. These few words ended quite a few relationships I had in the past.  
>"My real name is Claire Farron." I replied with a nervous smile. He sighed in relief.<br>"It doesn't bother me at all." he replied and kissed my cheek.  
>"I challenge you to a duel for Lightning's hand!" Cid exclaimed and poked Sephiroth's chest.<br>"You're on!" He replied without even thinking it through properly.  
>"Sephiroth! He's harder to kill than normal people and stronger than normal people." I whispered hastily into his ear. He chuckled at me.<br>"I appreciate your tip, but I'll be fine. Don't worry." He replied and kissed me before following Cid to the beach.

The crowd followed them out and made a huge circle around the soon to be battleground. Cid became the strange mutant that I remembered from before Cocoon's fall. Sephiroth drew his blade and the fight began. The two people in lab coats came up to me and watched the fight next to me. The woman turned to me and introduced herself and her husband.  
>"I'm Lucrecia and my husband Hojo here are Sephiroth's birth parents. And who might you be?" She asked.<br>"I'm Lightning, Sephiroth's girlfriend." I replied. I saw Hojo's eyes widen and then he shook his head. Lucrecia slapped his stomach and he groaned afterwards. She shot him a warning stare and he continued to watch the fight just like she did. Two pairs of footsteps came up to me again and I was pleasantly surprised to see who it was. It was Hope and his father. Hope turned to me and asked what was happening.  
>"Cid challenged Sephiroth, my boyfriend to a fight and well... It's hard to tell who's winning." I replied. He turned to watch the fight and cheered on Sephiroth.<p>

The crowd gasped as Cid had somehow knocked Sephiroth off of his feet. My heart lurched and almost came up my throat. Sephiroth got up with ease and then smirked. I somehow knew he was holding back to assess Cid as a fighter. Sephiroth's black angel wing shot out and black feathers danced in the air. Cid was a little dumbfounded by this, but regained his cool and continued fighting. Sephiroth battered him with a few of his graceful but powerful attacks and then by the signature attack, the Supernova. Much to Sephiroth's surprise, Cid got up and continued fighting. Cloud and Serah joined the crowd and Cloud somehow knew what was next.

He and Serah moved to the spaces around Hope, Hojo, Lucrecia and myself. In a flash of light, Sephiroth became this divine being that smashed Cid with any opportunity he had.  
>"Whoa!" I exclaimed.<br>"That's Safer-Sephiroth." Cloud replied.  
>"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." I said and watched the following strikes with shock. Cid barely scratched Safer-Sephiroth, but every strike Sephiroth dealt, was quickly sapping Cid's strength. Even regular healing didn't help him. Sephiroth summoned this huge rock. I recognised this attack, Black Materia, but I've never seen it at this scale. The materia came into contact with Cid and then punched him into the ground. The materia exploded on impact and Cid lay on the ground, crippled enough to give up the fight before he actually got killed.<p>

The crowd cheered and Sephiroth floated down to the sand with his black wing outstretched. I walked up him and kissed him. His hands moved to my lower back and his wing wrapped around me. I felt safe in his arms. Our lips parted and his hand began intertwine with mine. I saw him reach into his pocket and then tried to hide a look that told me he was forgetting something. He picked up my survival knife and handed it back to me.  
>He then kissed my cheek and whispered into my ear, "Thanks, it did bring me luck." I tossed Serah the knife and she caught it. Sephiroth took my hand again and got down on one knee.<br>"Lightning, I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I know that you're the one. So, Lightning... no, Claire Farron. Will you marry me?" He asked with a nervous smile.  
>"Yes!" I replied and kissed his soft lips. The crowd cheered as our lips parted and he slid the ring onto my finger. I kissed him again and flung my arms around him.<p>

We got off the sand and shared another quick kiss. Serah, Cloud and Hope ran towards us and Serah gave me a great big hug.  
>"Congrats!" She chirped.<br>"Let's see the ring." Hope smiled. I saw by the look on Sephiroth's face that someone was going to be very surprised. I held my hand out and the three of them closely inspected the ring.  
>"Is that real diamond?" Serah asked.<br>"Yes. It is." He replied coolly.  
>"Is that white gold?" Hope asked. I was surprised by his question.<br>"Sure is." Sephiroth replied with a smile.  
>"Is that manufactured thunder materia?" Cloud asked with an inquisitive expression. Sephiroth paused and then answered Cloud's question.<br>"Pure thundaga materia?" He replied uneasily. Cloud's eyes widened to the size of saucers.  
>"What?!" he exclaimed.<br>"It's pure thundaga materia." Sephiroth replied.  
>"Are you nuts? That stuff costs an absolute fortune!" Cloud exclaimed. I looked at Sephiroth in astonishment.<br>"Really? A fortune? Really?" I asked in complete shock.  
>"Only the best for you, Lightning." Sephiroth replied and kissed my cheek. I rolled my eyes at Sephiroth. He just smiled at me.<br>"What are we standing around for? A wedding can still take place!" Serah exclaimed and ushered the large crowd back into the church.

The priest was told of the change of plans and the words were altered to fit the new ceremony. It went by so quickly I couldn't even get all of my thoughts together. To be honest, if Gadot hadn't have had the whole thing recorded, I would have forgotten it. All I remember was the end. With our wedding bands on our fingers and the vows exchanged, the priest said those immortal words.  
>"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Sephiroth took me into his arms and pressed his lips against mine. The crowd cheered and our lips parted.<br>"I now present to the public for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Sephiroth Crescent." The priest concluded and the crowd cheered again.

_Dear Diary,  
><em>_This is the perfect ending to the most messed up war I have ever taken part in. I ended up marrying Sephiroth and the Cosmos and Chaos warriors crashed the reception. The crowd however, loved having them there and it was truly the best night ever. Kefka got on really well with Snow. Kuja and Kefka are no longer together. Vaan and Terra are now dating, much to the Onion Knight's dismay. Cloud and Serah are very happy together. Hope got with Tifa. As funny as that sounds, they are actually really cute together. Tidus and Yuna are still together. Exdeath and Cloud of Darkness are not together anymore. Garland and Ultimecia are still together. Bartz and Firion hit it off. Sephiroth told me that night that he'd take me to Nibelheim one day. I only wish I could show him Bodhum before the fall. Oh well. These things happen. Yesterday, Sephiroth took me to this magical beach resort called Costa Del Sol for our honeymoon. Strangely enough, Gaia feels a lot like Cocoon. Except for the fal'cie. Yeah, I like life better without them and their issues with turning people l'Cie and Cie'th. I wonder how everyone's going since the war... Hm... I guess happily ever afters aren't just for dreams and fairytales after all. Mr. Crescent is calling me. Ha ha. Sorry, I just had to say that. Like I said, the perfect ending to the most messed up war.  
><em>_Lightning_


End file.
